Promised
by Zophiela
Summary: Part 2 of the series, "Gravity". Nessie finally admits her love for Jacob. The Cullens go to Italy, leaving Jake behind and Leah deals with his angst. Alice has a disturbing vision. The pack is attacked. 10 years post BD. Nessie/Leah POV.
1. Travel Plans

_(This story is brewing like a firestorm in my head and may end up being quite long when finished. I'll have to see where it takes me. Stephenie Meyer is the brilliant mind who owns all these characters that I play around with. The world of Twilight is her baby and I own nothing.)_

**Nessie**

It was my birthday. My tenth. For most people, turning ten meant a big birthday cake with lots of frosting, balloons and presents. It meant all your school friends surrounding you, playing games, and having fun. For me, things weren't so carefree. I was ten years old and still going on eighteen. Birthdays really didn't matter much for me. One more year to be walking the earth, but since I had stopped growing at year seven, this was just another notch on the tree.

Leah was sitting with me on the deck in back of the house in Oakwood, California, that she shared with her pack brothers. Our friendship had taken time and patience to develop, but by now she had become a dear friend to me. She was quiet, her dark eyes watching me thoughtfully. One would be quick to look at her and think her half mad the way the pack members were often wild, looking disheveled. Though she had softened somewhat, Leah retained a hard look to her, and it was warranted and well earned. Her past was a sad one, but one I refused to dwell on. Jacob says I am a huge part in bringing Leah back from the emotional dead place she had been wallowing in for so long. I couldn't take the credit. She did all the fighting herself. My strong sister.

We were waiting for the guys to come home, well, I was really only waiting for one guy. My guy. I had driven from the home that I shared with the rest of the Cullens after a fight I had with them. One that involved Jacob. My parents could have easily prevented me from leaving. They would always have the physical advantage over me, but they didn't even attempt to. I grabbed the keys to my silver Audi, a modest car compared to the others in the garage, and slammed the door as I left the house. I sped over 80mph all the way to the lakefront property that Esme built for Jake's small tribe. As I pulled into the drive, I could sense Leah, and ran around the side of the house as she ran into me. Her face had an accusing glare and I knew she was aware of the situation.

"The guys went off to find him." She said, frowning. "I couldn't stand to hear all the Jake angst in my head so I offered to stay."

I sighed and crossed my arms. "So, now everyone knows."

"Welcome to pack life, Nessie. You can still back out. Just be glad you'll always have at least some privacy. I have no choice."

"Sorry." I crossed my arms defensively and she just turned her back to me and started walking to the backyard.

"Well, come on. They'll be back sooner or later." She said and I quickly followed her, walking silently as we made it to the deck to sit and wait for the wolves to return.

She didn't ask me any details, but she was like that, stoic in a way. We just sat as she discussed her own experience, while we listening for any indication that the boys would be returning. I wondered how angry Jacob was. He had fought with my family and gone running off to the woods. Leah had been hunting at the time, and was shocked by the anger and hurt thoughts running through Jacob's head. She instantly knew a good deal of the situation by that and couldn't stand to remain in wolf form. The other pack members dashed off to find Jacob and try to calm him. I didn't want Jake to be upset. He could be sensitive and I knew I should have given him the news earlier. He wouldn't have taken it quite so hard coming from me. There were times when the vampires still put him on the defensive, though he was considered family by them, with the exception of possibly Rosalie. It was my fault it was all happening this way. The wrong way. I knew Jacob much better than to have let this happen.

"Can you phase and let them know I'm here?," I asked Leah.

She sighed and got up off the bench, then looked down at me. "You owe me big for this," she said as I shrugged at her. Then she walked down the steps to the backyard. She whipped off her tank top and undid her shorts, letting them slide down. I watched as her body began to shift in the moonlight, changing into the gray wolf that I knew as a sister. Jake's pack was no longer modest with me, and by now it meant nothing to them to have me be witness to any form shifts. She immediately shook her shaggy head and paused as she was undoubtedly listening to the boys' chatter in her head. Then she growled a bit and ran to the edge of the forest, waiting. A sandy colored wolf soon burst forth from the trees, stopping to meet his sister before loping across the yard to the edge of the deck. I lost visual contact with him for a few moments, but noticed that Leah was now a human once more, changing back into her clothes. She walked back to the deck as Seth came from the side of it, now in his cutoffs, the typical fashion choice of wolf boys everywhere.

"Jeez, Nessie. I know you have to go, but still." Seth, always one to speak the blunt and obvious truth. "He's just mad that he can't go, too."

I moaned. "I know." I looked at Seth's youthful and very honest face. "Is he really mad?"

"Well, maybe he should tell you himself. I think he's on his way." Seth gave me an apologetic smile and put his hand on my shoulder. "Just be glad you are his imprinted. He won't completely wrath out on you."

"Thanks _so_ much." I tried to shoot him a mock smirk, but it was cut short when I suddenly heard a far off rustle of brush. Several animals running toward the house through the forest. One with a scent that I knew as well as my own. One that I always knew since my first day. My senses were heightened to it and I stood up and leapt off the edge of the deck to the soft grass, waiting for the wolves to arrive.

Then, as soon as they were coming at us, they stopped. Confused, I ran to the edge of the trees. I was there in less than a second, and ran straight into a broad chest with arms that encircled me.

"Oof. Jake!" He had stopped to shift and throw his shorts on in the trees when I had expected him to run out in full wolf form. I looked up at him to see that his deep set, dark eyes were looking down into mine, his longish black hair framing his features. I bit my lower lip and wanted to smooth the mixture of fear and anger away from the face I so loved.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Italy. To see Aro and the rest of those Volturi scum. I could handle going along as your guard dog. What I can't take is being left behind."

I suddenly broke free of his embrace and backed up from him. "You know, I don't like it either! I wish you could go."

His eyes flashed. "Then I'm going. I'll find a way."

"Carlisle froze the pack's black card," I said without a hesitation. My grandfather had provided the pack with their own card. He knew they were too proud to use it, so made sure they knew it was for "emergencies". It was the only way they'd accept such a thing from him. As for the freeze, it was to keep Jake from charging any last minute plane tickets. He deserved to know the whole truth. "It's safer if you stay here."

He sneered. "Yeah. I know. Oh, that was a part of the lovely fight I had at your house tonight. I got to hear all about this crap from Bella. She's 'doing it for my own good.'" He began to pace. "You know, there was a time when she wasn't so self righteous. I gotta say, vampirism isn't doing that girl any favors."

"She's right. I don't want you in the path of actual "children of the moon" werewolves. Aro mentioned they're having an epidemic of them right now. We all think you would be safer staying here. I can't risk you getting bitten by one just so I can feel safe." I scowled at him. He was attacking my family again. But, he was angry and rightfully so. He stopped pacing and looked at me, breathing deeply to calm himself down.

"I can take a werewolf."

"Well, we'll never know. Because you aren't coming.

He looked like he was fighting inside, trying not to make me feel upset, though still needing to let out his feelings. "I don't like it. I don't want you to go. Volturi are dangerous."

"So are the Cullens! Have you _met_ my family?!" My voice raised a bit and I could hear Quil snicker from the porch, the guys having gotten back while we were arguing. Jake shot him a look and he put up his hands in mock surrender, turning back to the others as they continued to listen to us. Quil was down visiting the pack for the week while his imprinted, Claire, was away on vacation on her last week before school began. He had joined Jacob's pack, but when we moved away from Forks, he stayed there to be close to Claire. One day, we all hoped he would be ours again.

"Yeah. They are a bit on my shit list right now."

I sighed. "Well, it might interest you to know that you weren't the only one who threw choice words around them tonight. I had a nice fight, too. Alice and I got home from a movie, probably just after you stormed out of there. I was livid that they told you without me. Um…I actually hissed at Edward. I don't think I ever really did that before."

Jacob stopped trying to focus his energy and pretty much just…stopped. He just looked at me, his eyes a little incredulous. Then he smirked. "Really? You hissed?"

I was just glad he was actually smiling, so I did the same to make the mood lighter. "Yeah. Everyone stopped arguing with me then and I just took off and came here." I paused for a bit, deciding if I should actually show him what happened at my home earlier that night. I could feel my sharp teeth bite at my lower lip as I approached him and reached for his head. He bowed a bit to allow me to give him the memory of the arguement and my rebellious behavior. It passed through us quickly, forcing me to re-live all the gory details along with my own bravado. When it was shared, I let him go and waited for a reaction.

"Wow." Jake was looking at me like I just killed an entire pride of lions, or beat Emmett at arm wrestling or something. I shot him a look that meant he was being ridiculous.

"It wasn't _that_ great," I said, thinking back on the shock of everyone witnessing my moment of defiance. The look on my parents' faces was priceless. "Well, actually it was, kinda." I smiled and my lashes dusted my cheeks as I felt them flush. His arms were around me again and he was kissing the top of my head.

"My fierce little she wolf."

"Rawr," I said.


	2. Revelation

_(Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or world. I could only wish. It's all Stephenie Meyer.)_

_(Some have asked me why Nessie thinks of her parents by their real names instead of mom or dad. In my Twilight fanfic world, the Cullens decided that because they are all appearing the same age, it would be easier to conceal what they are to the outside world if she started doing this. She still calls them mom or dad once in awhile when they're alone, or when she's feeling angry or sentimental. I figure when they all eventually go to high school together, she'll be seen as just another Cullen sibling. She's practicing now to avoid slipups later.)_

* * *

**Nessie**

"Well…I should probably go…," I said, looking at the grass to the side of us. After a long night of laughing and cake, the part I dreaded was finally upon us. I had already bid the rest of my friends goodnight and they had gone inside. They were most likely waiting up for Jacob to join them after I left. I dared a glance at him, his eyes looking far off across the water.

"Yeah. I guess this is it," he said wryly, obviously unhappy. "Knew it was coming sooner or later."

I took hold of his shoulders, stretching up on my tiptoes to come up to his chin. "I'm coming back. I promise you." He looked down at me and ran a hand through my curls. His eyes were almost pleading for me to change my mind, but I would not allow him to go to Italy with us. I refused to risk him.

"Well, just go and do what you have to do. Just don't expect me to sit here and get on with things as if you aren't thousands of miles away." He held onto me and kissed my head before letting me go. I could feel that his heart was conflicted. He was trying not to show his pain.

The night air was chilly and being away from the heat of his body made me shiver, I absently thrust my hands into my pockets and felt the small object I had stored there. I made sure to grab it out of my treasure box and put it there so I'd have it when I was so far away. I slowly pulled it out and held it up to Jacob. "Remember this?"

He looked at the small woven object that he'd given me as a gift when I was still a bouncy baby. The little bracelet was worn out and a bit tattered by now. I had long since outgrown it, but I still treasured the tiny gift.

"I was just a kid back then," he scoffed at the bracelet, but reached out to take it and look it over. He smiled. "You were so cute." His smile only encouraged one of my own.

"Were?"

He looked at me. "Hmmm…you'll always be cute, Nessie. You know it." He handed me back the bracelet and I held it carefully. "You outgrew that pretty fast."

"Maybe," I said, feeling the weave, the work he had put into it for me. "I didn't outgrow it's meaning. Promised. It means you're stuck with me." I smiled, trying to make light of things. Trying to make him smile, but I could tell he was doing the best he could to keep up a brave face. It would be better just to leave and get it over with. I went up to him quickly and kissed his cheek. "Love you. I'll see you when I get back." Then I ran to my car with vampire speed, started the engine and took off out of there before I could look back.

I was hurting Jacob. That was something I absolutely tried to avoid, but to no avail. Was my existence meant only to bring hardship to the one I loved the most? His life was inexplicably tied to mine forever, but it seemed more and more that I got the better end of that stick. I would keep trying to make it up to him. To make _him_ happy, if at all possible. He had never been apart from me for more than a week before and I was forcing him to be away for longer than that. Quil was beginning to ache and grow restless being separated from Claire for the past week and now Jake would have to endure it and worse. Not only would I be gone for over a week, but I was meeting with the Vorturi. That just twisted the knife of his pain and ground salt into the wound.

It was very late and I was speeding much faster than I had intended to. I was blasting my mp3s and tears were threatening to fall. I hated hurting Jacob. I was so upset that I almost missed the man standing in the middle of the road. The headlights of my car caught him and I slammed on the breaks. The tires screeched and the front bumper just barely missed making contact with the one in my way. My heart lurched in my throat, but that was quickly replaced with a seething rage when I realized who it was.

Edward Cullen.

I quickly drove the car to the side of the road and opened the door. Standing up, I stared daggers at him. "What do you think you're doing?!" I shut the door and in a few steps was inches from his very serious looking gaze. "I could have…hit you!" I shouted when I realized the impact would have barely bruised him.

"Oh, I'm much too fast to allow that."

That irritated me to no end. I narrowed my chocolate brown eyes at him and very nearly hissed for the second time that night at my father. "Okay. So what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?!"

He smiled a bit too smugly. At this point in my life, the lines of parent and friend were blurring a bit. It was too easy to forget that this was the guy who held me and changed me and told me wild stories at night to get me to sleep. Right now, he was merely the family member who was most pissing me off.

"I came to have a little chat before we go back and you have to apologize to Esme and Carlisle for destroying the front door." He was obviously amused by this fact. I was furiously thinking back to what I could have possibly done to the door. He was reading my thoughts and smirked when I remembered slamming the door on my way out after my little tiff.

"I wrecked the door? Did I really slam it that hard?" I groaned and covered my face with my hands. I had never gotten so angry that I'd used my strength without thinking. Growing up, I was taught to be very careful around people and things as I was capable of great harm. I had lost control of myself when I'd left the house.

"Emmett and Carlisle were able to get it to lock, but we'll have to get a new one when we get back," Edward said, his hands sliding down my shoulders. "Now, do you want to humor me so we might take to the trees?"

I sighed and looked at him, letting my hands fall. A part of me still wanted to be very angry with him, but it was hard for me to keep up a fit of rage when dealing with Edward. He had the uncanny ability to always know what to do and say to diffuse my negative feelings. I wasn't sure how he could do that when the feelings were stemming from Jacob.

"I know. I don't have the best history dealing with Jacob, but I do know how he feels about you." Edward put his hard arm around me and we left the side of the road and looked up at the trees that edged the lonely road. We jumped up and grabbed hold, climbing up and settling into one of the strongest branches. He took hold of me and I nestled against him like I would as a little girl, feeling comforted by his powerful strength.

"I know you hate to leave Jacob behind," His voice was rumbled with softness.

I felt my eyes well with those accursed tears. I didn't want him to hear my voice break so I merely nodded. I felt his fingers trail through my hair, stroking it away from my face. I burrowed further into the crook of his body.

"It's hard for him," I managed to say. "He's trying not to let me know how hard because he knows I have to go."

He was silent for awhile. "He's safer here. It is too risky this time."

I nodded. "I know."

I shivered, his cold temperature not helping me warm up at all. He adjusted his position to put his jacket between us. "I know Jacob much better now because of you. He's your vulnerability. I can't let him be hurt. I'll always be looking out for you two."

I looked up at him, his skin glowing white in the moonlight. He knew me better than I knew myself. I could deny truths and gloss over things I didn't want to notice, but he was the one person who could see my heart. He looked with an objective eye. Well, as objective an eye as a father could have. I was so used to that casual invasion into my psyche that I hardly noticed he had everything figured out long before I could.

"I love Jake," I said softly. I always loved him, but as my protector, then as my best friend. Two years ago I knew we were becoming closer. We had been, but I had been comfortable just knowing that. Just being content with the reality that the two of us were forever. I accepted and understood what imprinting meant. But this was the truth of how I really felt, and when I realized it, it hit like a freight train."

"I mean…I _love_ Jake." I said it again as if saying it out loud confirmed it and made it more absolute.

"You okay?," Edward asked, letting me gather my thoughts.

"He doesn't know about this. I left him and he's so upset. How can I leave him like that?!" I broke free of my father and jumped to the grass below. My heart wanted to drive me back to the pack and into the arms of Jacob Black. I suddenly felt my hair blow across my face and blinked quickly to see my father standing in front of me, the keys to my car in his hand. I frowned.

"Do you really want to confess your heart to him before you leave him for weeks?" I paused, not wanting to hear sense. He had my keys. I could run almost as fast as he could, but he would inevitably win. I needed to be with Jacob. I needed him. How could Edward understand anything close to what I was feeling?!

He looked sympathetic. "Believe me. I understand completely, but we do have a plane to catch in a few hours." I could feel my heart ache and it hurt more than I thought I could stand. I could see my father wince from the impact of my emotion. "We should go."

I watched him get into the driver's seat and I waited a few moments before getting in the car. I was silent, staring out the window while he drove. He went slowly, giving me time to gather myself. He really was the best father on the planet, but my mind was only on one person. My favorite person. The one who owned my heart.

"Oh, just wait till Rose finds out. She's going to howl!," Edward said, grinning at me.

I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

_(Reviews are really helpful and they encourage me to get the next chapter out at a faster pace. So, if you want to let me know how you think this story's going, I'd appreciate it! Thanks! -Z)_


	3. Pack Life

_(I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does and she's brilliant. Okay, that said, I know I'm skipping ahead a bit in story time. It's only because anything else would have been filler. I have written some Cullen filler bits for what happens on the plane to Italy. Although they are fun, they don't advance the story much so I didn't post them as the next chapter. I may decide to add them back in later, but for now I'm going ahead with what Jacob's pack is doing while the vampires are away on holiday. Even though it seems that we won't see it, I promise we will see what happens with the Cullens and the Volturi before the entire story is complete. __-Z)_

* * *

_**Leah**_

I had my arms covered in sticky bread dough and flour. It was September and in the fall I usually ended up trying new things. Today it was making fresh bread. Before she took off for her trip, Nessie got me a book about baking so I could try things out while she was gone. She said she wanted lots of good things to eat when she got back. _Good luck, Nessie_.

I heard the land phone trilled from across the house. I looked at the mess I was in and frowned, blowing a strand of black hair out of my eye.

"SETH!" I shouted, wondering where he was. I didn't see him leave the house, but he was sneaky about dodging things I wanted him to do. I knew the others weren't home. Embry went downtown for supplies and Jacob - well, he was out. I could always pull the Beta card, but that was absolutely not my style and only worked when we were wolves. Jacob very rarely pulled Alpha rank and forced our will and I was really grateful for it. When we were part of Sam's pack, Sam wasn't always so thoughtful. Then again, the mere thought of my ex-lover as my Alpha again just made me want to throw the raw dough across the room. "SETH CLEARWATER! GET THE PHONE!" I let it ring once more before snarling and tromping across two rooms to grip the receiver, now covered in sticky goo.

"Hello?!"

"Leah…?" The voice was soft and silvery.

"Nessie! Jacob's gonna be so pissed he missed you." I looked over toward the door, seeing Seth sneaking out of the house, waving and grinning as he did. He could be an absolute brat. I drew my goo covered hand back and whipped it at him, but he was quick and dashed outside as dough splatted against the edge of the back door. Okay, he WAS cleaning that up.

"He's not there?" She sounded like her heart was sinking. I walked back to the kitchen to wipe my hands on a dishrag when I realized I got dough on my shoulder from having it support the phone. _Oh, give me strength._

"Well, he's kind of running around the woods right now. He does that to deal with crap. You know, you guys DID leave him pretty last minute. Not that I'm judging."

The phone was quiet for a minute and I waited for her to say something. "You there?"

"Yeah. Um…so it's only been a couple days. I talked to him on the plane and he sounded fine."

Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Sometimes I could have a huge mouth, blurting out things before thinking. There was really no way to back peddle, especially with someone as shrewd as her. "Well, he likes to run around. You know Jake. I'm sure he's just out for sport..."

"No. He's upset. I know it. I left him and now he can't deal. It's the imprinting thing!"

"Nessie. Calm down. You're being hysterical. Guys don't die from imprinting." _No. They just abandon you for your favorite cousin and break you heart._ "Hold on a sec." I set the phone down and quickly started whipping off my clothes. It was pretty quick and then I was shifting. As soon as I was all furry, I was bombarded by a full on Jacob mind attack.

_Leah. I thought you were making me dinner! _Of course he wouldn't hesitate to start griping_._

_Can it, wolf. I thought you might want to know she's on the phone._

There was an instant surge of urgency in our connection. The rush of emotion involved in what was going on in Jacob's head was enough to make me hunch up and gag. I immediately phased back and grimaced, pulling my clothes back on. I grabbed the phone.

"Nessie, you still there?"

"Yeah. Did you tell him I'm on?"

I sighed. "It's really disgusting all this imprinting garbage. You can't even imagine." I heard what could have passed for a laugh bordering on a giggle and rolled my eyes. _Oh, just get here, Jacob_.

I walked with the phone to the back deck and looked out to the edge of the woods, waiting for him to arrive. "So, what have you guys been doing for the last couple days?"

"Mmm…sightseeing mostly. Alice went crazy buying bags and shoes. I swear, she's blissing out on shopping. Carlisle almost had to tell her to slow down because we do need to fit it all on the plane to get back."

I made a sound of acknowledgment mostly for her benefit. I could care less about expensive, showy things that mattered to the Cullens. I guess I wasn't yet over disliking them for the most part. I blamed Bella and her stupid romance, dragging Jacob into it. I mean, Renesmee did come out of that, but she was also tying us all to the vampires through Jake. It seemed my choices weren't so hot. I could be alone, or with Sam's pack (make me puke), or with Jacob and the vamps. Since I wasn't too keen on being alone, Jake won. Nessie was great once I let myself get to know her. She's kind of forever tied to the pack, so it was something I had to accept anyway.

"Is he even close yet?" I heard her family chatting in the background and wondered where they were.

"Um…I think so." I could see the brushes moving and Jacob was tearing out of them at full speed. He was acting like a beastly fool. I was quick to take full advantage of the situation and hide the phone behind my back. The huge reddish brown wolf leapt up onto the deck as he simultaneously began to phase into human form. He held out his hand.

"Gimme the phone." His eyes were fierce and snapping with impatience. I stepped away from him - the guy didn't even have the decency to put on his shorts.

"Put your shorts on and I'll see." I wasn't sure if he'd actually chase me for the phone and was hoping he'd see sense. He frowned and growled.

"Give me the phone, Leah!" He must have realized he was standing there naked as he tried undoing the thong on his ankle as he glared at me. I just put the phone up to my ear and started laughing.

"Leah! Give him the phone!," the bell-like voice scolded me.

"Nessie! You should be here! This is priceless! Oh, I need to get a camera…"

Jacob and I were in human form so he couldn't press me to give it to him. He was at my mercy. Once he untied the cord, he lunged at me and I decided to give the guy a break, relinquishing the phone to him. He cradled the phone against his shoulder as he pulled up his shorts and started doing them up.

"Nessie! Are you okay?! How are things?" His temper shifted completely once he was talking to her. I crossed my arms and sighed.

Men. I could hear Jacob's low murmurings as he chatted, his entire focus on the voice in the phone. I walked back into the house, hoping that the call would satisfy him enough to last a day at least. I didn't need to deal with him being all psycho. We really didn't need him like he was that time when Bella picked Edward and completely crushed his soul. I hoped that wouldn't happen. I knew how he must have felt back then, but this was different. It was only a week or so and it wasn't as if Nessie was going off to be an idiot like Bella. From the way she sounded on the phone, it even seemed clear that she was all his. No more contest or rivalries for Jacob. Well, it was about time.

At least Seth and Embry were still single. I'm not the only one. I'd been avoiding all romantic attachment since I'd been so badly burned. I'm still not completely over Sam. How does one get over something that intense. At one time, Sam had been my entire world. Then it abruptly died. Back in his pack, that pain just kept staring me in the face, kept finding it's way into my head and heart. As much as Jacob and I fight and bicker, I'm glad he is free from Sam. I'm grateful that I was accepted by him, and I'll be the best damned Beta I can be because of it.

I heard Embry's truck drive up and went out to see what he'd brought back from the store. When I walked around to the side of the house to greet him, he had a look in his eyes that meant something was not right. He handed me a couple bags of groceries and I took them, but wouldn't stop looking at the dark eyes that were suddenly so severe.

"What's wrong?" I asked, demanding he tell me. He stopped and shut the door, hauling the rest of the bags on his arms.

"I need to talk to Jake." He started toward the house, but I blocked his path, trying to look at dominant as possible.

"He's on the phone with Renesmee. Talk to _me_." I scowled and he looked at me for a few moments before deciding to let me in on the news first.

"There are fallout vampires in the area. I saw them in town" His voice was terse and serious. Embry wasn't usually very severe. The hair on the back of my neck stood up causing me to shiver. Fallout vamps were from the little army that the psycho-bitch vamp, Victoria, put together over a decade ago. It was the first time the Cullens and the Quileutes worked together to defeat a common enemy. Now and then a random pocket of vampires show up as a result of that. Most of the time a few are newborns. They have very little structure and are pretty much as rogue as you can get.

"Well, did they know about you? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. They could tell." He pushed past me and walked around the side of the house to the deck, his tall form passing Jacob, who was sitting on one of the benches. Jacob almost didn't notice, but when Embry passed by, I could see the look of concern lace his eyes. It was hard to get anything by him. I lingered next to him but he didn't break his conversation a beat as he gestured for me to follow Embry inside.

I set the bags on the counter and mindlessly began putting them away as Embry leaned against the counter. He was in deep thought as I handed him a bag of food and he began helping me.

"Where's Seth?," he asked as he finished and started on another bag. He looked at me then and I had just met his gaze before dropping a bag of frozen beans on the counter and dashing outside. I ran past Jacob, who stood up and watched me run across the long yard and vanish into the woods. I pulled off my clothes and phased, listening for my brother's mind.

_Seth! Where the hell are you? _

_Calm down Leah. What's up? _He sounded playful but I was not in the mood.

_I need you back at the house. _

_What for? Did you catch the place on fire again? _

I growled._ Just get back here!_

Then, a voice with a double timbre that could not be disobeyed broke through and we heard Jacob's command. _Seth, get back to the house. Now._

I turned and looked behind me. Jacob was standing on the edge of the woods. I walked over to him as we waited for Seth.

_Sorry I had to pull rank, but I really need everybody back at the house._

A few moments later Seth came trotting back to us.

_Hey, you're the boss. It must be pretty serious_. Seth responded with no hard feelings_. _

The three of us phased back and walked back to the house to meet up with Embry who was waiting in the doorway. We filled Seth in on the small amount of information we had. I'd ask about Nessie later. Jacob suddenly had a lot to deal with, but he'd have us. The four of us settled on the deck and Jacob sighed. He had responsibilities. Until now when we had problems, we fought with our allies. Right now, the allied forces were on the other side of the world. I did not envy him his position.

"Maybe we should tell the Cullens. Let them know what's going on," Seth suggested.

"No." Jacob was firm. "I don't want them to worry about us. They are going to Volterra tomorrow and Nessie's nervous enough as it is."

"Should we wait? See if they come to us? There are only four of us. We can't break up to patrol or scout." Embry said, waiting for Jacob's approval.

"What good are we if we can't protect people from the thing we were made to defend them against?" Jacob said, frustration rising in his voice. "Half of our good fighting force is back in Forks or in Italy right now. We are a very small pack. It's my job to keep you guys safe. We can take a couple bloodsuckers at a time, but we don't know how many there are. You say you saw them in town. So, if we need to go to town, we stay together. When we get back to the house, we stay together."

"I'd love to take on another vamp," I grinned, the thrill of a good fight welling in me.

"You might get your chance if they show up again." Jake stood up but made himself clear. "I mean it. Stick together. Now, I have to go call a girl, if you don't mind." He grabbed the phone and walked back into the house.

Embry disappeared into the house and came back with a bag of chips. The three of us sat out as dusk began to settle on the lake. Lake birds flew across the water and we munched our snacks, our senses heightened. We didn't say much more about the vampires that night, but we were all well aware.


	4. Pains of Imprints

_(DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight. Stephenie Meyer does. Respect her copyright! Yes, I too am very sad about Midnight Sun...)_

* * *

**Leah**

It had been a week since the Cullens left for Italy. They were due back in roughly three days or so, but I wasn't sure how Jacob would be able to put up with waiting much longer. The separation from Nessie was starting to take it's toll. He spent most of his time phased, running around the woods, trying to lose himself in the simplicity of a wolf's instincts.

Nessie called him every day at the same time so he'd know to come home for her every night when it got dark. They'd talk for hours into the night, sometimes until the sun came up. Then he'd try to sleep the next day which was great since it gave us the freedom to run around as wolves without hearing his angst in our heads. However, last night I could tell that even the long phone calls weren't cutting it anymore. There was no way Nessie was missing the edge in his voice that he tried so hard to hide from her. She came from a cunning family and she was a smart girl.

When she called him the night after her visit with Aro and the other Volturi, Jacob was quiet for awhile. He seemed agitated and concerned over whatever she said to him. When I asked him what was wrong, he snapped at me and disappeared to his room for the rest of the night. I wonder what she said to him - what the vampires of Volterra must have said to her. Not that any vampires matter to me, but Nessie matters to Jacob and we have to put up with him. So, I just continue to look out for my best interest.

_Butt out, Leah._

_If you don't like what I'm thinking, get out of my head_.

_Impossible. You never shut your mind trap._

I laughed and phased back to human form, laying in the yard. I stood up and changed into my clothes, then sat back in the cool grass. I looked to my right to see the huge, shaggy wolf walk over to me. He playfully head butted me, which was uncharacteristic for Jacob. I reached up and scratched his ruff, feeling a twinge of sympathy for the guy. He remained still for a moment before jumping on me. He pinned me to the ground before bounding off, making a wolfish snicker as he looked back.

"Jerk," I said to him as he trotted into the house. I couldn't really be angry. He was reaching out for something stable and knew he could count on our camaraderie, rough as it may be. I got up and brushed the grass off me as I walked over the cool ground and up to the house. Jacob was already phased back, the phone in his hand, waiting for her call. Seth and Embry were watching TV and I flopped on one of the armchairs to join them. The nightly news was coming on. Seth made a grab for the remote, but Embry was quicker and whipped it away from him, tossing it to me. Seth moved to get up and wrestle me for it but was interrupted by Jacob who took the remote from me and was turning up the volume.

"Calm down guys. Listen." We stopped horsing around and looked at the glowing screen.

"…Reports tell us that the victims were left in a dumpster behind Club Underground. They appear to have been severely bitten by what looks like human teeth. At this time extreme blood loss from the wounds appears to be the cause of death. Authorities encourage anyone with any information as to who or what is responsible for this attack to please come forward…"

Jacob began flipping channels for any more information. The other news shows had reports like it, but said mostly the same thing.

"I knew it," Embry moaned, worry in his dark eyes.

"Hey," Seth said, trying to keep Embry from shouldering guilt. "We did go around that area and didn't find any vampires."

"But we _smelled_ them. We should have tried harder."

"They're probably hanging out somewhere else," Seth said. "It's kinda predictable and I hate to admit it, but vampires aren't that stupid…generally."

Jacob interjected. "Seth has a point. I doubt they're hanging out in the place they're feeding."

"You boys hanging out with them so long that you're starting to think like them?" I teased Seth and Jacob who were practically family to the vampires we ran with. I figured the Cullens thought of all of us as family, but I wasn't willing to go there just yet.

"They can only dream," Jacob responded. "We should go check this out, though. Not just the city this time. We start out from here and keep alert as we make our way there."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm up for a run," I added, stretching in anticipation.

"Great. First, I make a phone call. Then, we're out of here." Jacob grabbed the phone and dashed to the deck where he could be alone. I just sighed and tossed the remote back to Seth. We would be running after vampires which would be good for us. Jacob needed a distraction and we all needed to let off some steam and get out of the house. Seth flipped through channels, unable to commit to one when Jacob came back inside. I could tell something was wrong and sat up, staring at him. He was upset.

"There's no answer. She's late calling and she's not answering her phone." He began to pace and I just sat back, watching him get himself into a spastic Jake frenzy. It didn't take long. I sighed.

"Well, why don't we all just go hunt. Jacob, I'm sure she's fine. She's a Cullen for cryin' out loud. We'll go out, maybe find some vamps and dispatch them. That would make everyone feel a whole lot better."

"We can't just kill random vampires, Leah. They could be friends of Nessie's."

I tried very hard to be as patient as possible. It was a task that didn't really come naturally, but I gave it my very best shot. I cleared my throat.

"Jacob, if a vampire tries to kill me or any of you - I _will_ murder it - and with great pleasure. Just so you know." I smiled sarcastically and stood up, grabbing hold of Seth to drag him up off the couch. "Now, let's go. We can call her when we get back. I'm sure she'll answer and tell you she lost a signal or something."

Embry was already outside waiting for us and I was surprised when Jacob didn't argue with me. He wandered out to the deck and stood there, staring out across the long yard to the lake. I followed him, ready to phase when I noticed he wasn't really with us anymore. His eyes seemed far away and I glanced at Embry who raised his brows at me. It was just a little bizarre.

"I think I'm doing pretty good under the circumstances," Jake said, in a sort of monotone. "I haven't punched holes in anything or caused any damage to myself or others." He crossed his arms and I noticed that his fingers were clenched into fists. "I need her back." His voice was heartbreaking, even for me. "I need her." He closed his eyes and sat on the bench, hiding his face in his hands. It was uncomfortable to see him so anguished, trying to hold it all together. Right then I wanted the Cullens to return just so I could pick a fight with them over this. What were they thinking, believing this would be best for him? I was angry, but I knew my usual ranting would only make things worse.

"She _is_ coming back soon," Seth said to Jacob as he sat next to him. He was a bit awkward, as if unsure how to help.

"Imprinting can really suck, huh?," I added. _I should know_.

Jacob then did something that I'll never forget. He lifted his head and look right at me.

"I hope you get your own."

I frowned at him. What was he implying? The way he said it made it seem that it was something he'd been thinking about for awhile. He'd been somehow hiding these thoughts from me.

"Get my own what?!"

"Your own imprint. You deserve to know what this is like."

I backed up from him, my heart feeling betrayed. I let myself trust Jacob in the last ten years. He had become a very important, stable friend. Why did he have to come out and say such cruel things now? Who's business was it that I chose to stay unattached? It made perfect sense to me.

"Why? So…so I can pine and mope and be insipid like _you_?!" I shouted at him, a little louder and more forcefully than intended. Since when had showing concern for a friend warranted a personal attack? "You know what? Forget it. Go on your little hunt. I'm out of here."

I jumped down and ran across the yard. I heard my name being called, but ignored it. I needed to get away. Once in the woods, I was able to phase. I left my clothes at the border of the trees and took off running. I loved to run. Speed was the best part of being a pack member. It was freeing. The scents were everywhere, calling me to them, telling me their stories.

_Get back, Leah. We have to stay together._

_Bite me, Jacob_.

_I'll pass, but I have some friends who'd will be glad to once they get back to town_.

I was not in the mood for his cute little antics.

_Screw you!_

I was really angry. He wasn't letting me be alone. That was the one thing I hated most about being a wolf. The lack of privacy. I just wanted to run and be free, but he was trying to pull me back.

_Leah. Don't make me make you._

That did it. I felt a surge of refreshed anger surge through me. I raced faster and suddenly made for a taller tree, using it to run up and flip around. I jumped off the rough bark and raced back to where I was sure Jacob was racing towards me. I saw him coming up fast and snarled, leaping up to lunge at him. My fangs closed on his shoulder and tore at the skin there, my wolf senses causing me to want to do physical harm. I felt his own teeth grip and tug at my back, the pain forcing me to release my hold. I snapped at his neck but he was much larger than I would ever be. In the span of about two seconds I suddenly found myself flipped onto my side, Jacob's sharp teeth buried in the fur of my neck, keeping me pinned to the ground.

_Get off, Jacob!_

_You attacked me first!_

_You deserved it!_

He suddenly got off me and leapt back, standing and watching to see what I'd do. Testing me. I got back to me feet and just looked at him. We faced each other, two massive wolves, unwilling to make another move. I wasn't about to be the first one to give. Call me stubborn, but that was me.

_You deserve an imprint._

_Ha! It looks like a whole lot of grief to me._

Suddenly we were aware of other consciousness' invading our minds. The others were hearing this. Jacob growled and used the double timbre mind voice of the alpha.

_Butt out, guys. We'll see you soon. _We heard the other minds leave and Jacob walked closer to me. Ha! I win.

_It's been over ten years, Leah. We've changed so much, but some things are still the same. If you imprinted, you could finally understand for yourself why Sam had to leave you. You think you're broken inside and imprinting can't happen to you, but I still don't believe that. _

That hurt. I felt my eyes water, wetting the gray fur under my eyes.

_Why are you doing this to me, Jake? Shut the hell up_. My heart was tearing open again and my trusted friend was making it hurt. I just wanted to forget about Sam and Emily and my stupid wolf girl body. Jacob walked up to me and head butted my shoulder.

_I'm not trying to be mean. Blame this unconditional love thing I've got for Nessie. Maybe I want the same thing for you so you won't be such a pain in the ass about my imprint. Call me crazy, but I do want you to be happy._

I thought over what he was trying to say. We weren't the best with words, but I got his point. It was hard for me to love anyone when I could potentially hurt that person like Sam hurt me. How could I do that to anyone? Being a werewolf meant that I could imprint someday. I vowed to never break someone's heart, to put someone through the pain that I went through. It looked like imprinting was my only chance at the sort of love my soul craved. It was probably the only way I would ever completely heal. The same way Nessie healed Jacob when Bella left him shattered.

In response to his attempt at being sweet - which had been like something the way of body snatchers - I dashed away from him in the direction of the house.

_Oh, come on, wolfman. We've got hunting to do._

_

* * *

__(There will be massive amounts of action in the next couple chapters. I know it has been a bit slow thus far as I got into Leah's mind. I can't resist a good action scene, though, so this story is getting a big one. Plus, very soon we will be seeing the return of the Cullens! As much as I heart the wolves, I miss our favorite vampires. Thanks for the reviews! They are very appreciated. -Z)_


	5. Taking The Bait

(Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and everything that goes with it.)

* * *

**Leah**

The ground felt good under my feet as my claws tore into the ground. We were running in the direction of the nearby city, our senses on alert for any signs of strange vampires. Seth and Embry flanked Jacob and I as we raced at the edge of the road, just close enough to the trees and underbrush that we could leap into the woods and be hidden if a car should pass. Jacob was running ahead of me, but we both knew I was faster. I took in a huge breath and bolted, skimming just past his larger form.

_Still got it_.

_Knock it off, Leah. It's not the time. _

_Loser_, I shot back, hearing Seth's laughter in my head. I wasn't mad. We were on a mission. I was only trying to divert his mind from Nessie. I guess the pack had to deal with enough crap from me trying to get over Sam that this was my due.

_Not even close_, Seth chimed in.

I slowed down to let Jacob get ahead of me. We were getting close to the Cullen estate and familiar ground. Jacob was starting to slow down as we got nearer. Embry shot me a look and I shook my head.

_I'm not insane. I know she's not home_, Jacob said as we saw the massive house and raced past the expanse of lawn. I encouraged him to run past the house by picking up my own speed. That usually got him in the competitive mood.

_Come on. Let's get going, _I said_. _I was running, listening to the others' minds vaguely linger on the house, impatient with their need to dwell on something that was inconsequential.

_Leah. Wait_, I heard Embry say.

As I slowed my pace and turned around, the smell hit us with the soft waft of wind that blew in our direction. It was that sickeningly sweet scent of a vampire. We knew that odor well as it clung to everything belonging to Nessie that came from her home. I was just so grateful that she, herself, had been spared the nausea inducing smell. Imagine being imprinted to vamp stank. To us, the girl herself smelled like an extremely diluted version which was actually really nice.

_Nice? She smells like whatever a goddess smells like, or heaven. Angel smell._

He was not acting at all rationally. He was a lovesick fool. I rolled my eyes.

_Thanks_, _Jacob. You're making me want to gag up my dinner, _I said as we crept closer to the Cullen's home. We had believed the scent of vampire was just coming off of their house, but something wasn't right. It was that good old wolf instinct that was sparking our interest. Jacob had his ears back and was inhaling the scent near the front, testing his memory for differences.

_I don't think it's them_, Seth thought as he crept up beside Jacob. The two wolves knew the Cullens better than Embry and I did. Seth's sweet nature won him the first vampire friends to the werewolves, which actually ended up not being such a bad thing. I stepped back and let the two sniff out the front steps.

_No_. Jacob turned to look at us. I could feel a sense of remorse edging on agitation directed at himself and wondered where it was coming from. _I know I've been breaking my promise the last couple days. Forcing you guys to do what I say when I said I wouldn't _ever_ do that._

_He's losing it, _I thought.

Jacob gave forth a sort of wolf snort and shook his head. _Yeah. Maybe. But, still, I'm really sorry about that_. _So, I'm telling you I want you to hold back while I check this out. Please just do that, okay?_

I stopped short and wanted to protest. My mind was protesting as were the other two wolves' minds. However, we forced ourselves to remain standing in the yard. Jacob _had_ been a little pushy with his role as Alpha in the past week. It was little things, here and there. Nothing that we might have even noticed so much. The fact that he was aware of it enough to put a stop to it was a big deal. He was much more respectful of our free will than Sam ever was. It also helped that we have a smaller pack and are all friends.

_Thanks. _Jacob looked at me for a second before walking up the steps. _Something's wrong with the door. Almost like it's been broken into except it's just…shattered on the hinges. _He cautiously crept into the house and then all we had to go by was whatever he was thinking about as he wandered the rooms.

We were all on edge as the urge to go with our pack leader became overwhelming. He wasn't just our Alpha, he was our friend. My best friend as I'd come to realize in the past several months. We were all really close to him. Although it was obvious that we'd solidified our friendship ages ago, of course I was the last one to finally give in and admit it. Stubborn, that was me. I shook my head and tried to focus on the present. I didn't have time to dwell on relationships and the stuff that annoyed my pack mates about having a girl around. Right now we were all concentrating on Jacob. It was then that I noticed we probably shouldn't all be focused on the same point.

_You guys should go check the perimeter. Just a quick sweep and then get your butts back here, _I said.

_Good idea_, Seth remarked as he took off quickly. Embry paused for a moment before joining him.

_Be careful you guys, _Jacob added. He was making his way up the stairs. The scent of vampires was thicker there. I could sense his protective nature become stronger as he must have gone into Nessie's room. The tension was enough to raise my hackles, which a was sure were just copying Jacob's.

_Jake. Just give us an idea of what's in there, _I asked and he let me know the status of her room. It was clear of vampires but at least one had definitely been there. From the anger rising in his psyche, I only guessed the place had been trashed. It was a complete sense of violation to her and he was practically enraged. _Jacob. Try to be calm. Nessie isn't here, okay? She's okay. We need to find these vamps and deal with them now or get the hell out of here._

_Oh, we're dealing with them. _His mind was absolute and I could tell his attention was shifted to the hall.

_Nobody's out here, but they were. Trace smell. It's probably just more of what we smelled before,_ Embry said as he and Seth raced back to me. Seth started to prance around, skipping on his wolf toes impatiently.

_Come on, Jacob. Let us in. We can help you find 'em_. Seth went so far as to the door, sticking his nose into the house. He looked around the grand entranceway, but wouldn't move past the broken door frame. The smell burned his nose and he ducked his head back out, looking at us. _Strangers, definitely_. He turned to peer back inside and suddenly jumped back in shock, the fur of his back raised up and bristling. His chest rumbled with a snarling growl.

_Seth! Get BACK_! Jacob ordered, but did not command. He was trying to keep to his vow.

_Vampires! Downstairs! Jake! Now! _Seth's mind shouted into ours as he fought not to lunge through the front door and attack the bloodsucker. Embry and I shot up the stairs to the front door and I shoved Seth's body behind mine as the three of us growled, our teeth bared and snapping.

The door was suddenly thrown all the way open, revealing three vampires who were definitely strangers to us. On quick glance, they looked much more serious than the usual Victoria "fallouts" we'd catch now and then. They had that look of "been here done this" all over them. It didn't stop us from giving them the same.

Suddenly Jacob's huge body leapt down the stairs and crouched, staring at the vamps. He looked more dangerous than I'd ever seen him. He was ready for a smack down. We could all feel the bloodlust that was taking him over. That was making me uneasy. His head wasn't in the game. He was acting on emotion as he usually did, but we couldn't afford him this way. Mentally weakened by imprint sickness. Oh, fabulous.

_I'm fine, Leah_. _Just need to take out this little fang gang here._

_Yeah? Well if that's so, I'm breaking rank. Get in there, guys._ The three of us tore through the front doorway and spread out on either sides of Jacob.

_You don't get the concept of sit and stay, do you? _

_Not when you're looking at certain death. Sorry. I told you before - you're threatened - I attack. It's the way I roll. _I lunged at the nearest vampire, who dodged me quicker than I could see her_. _These ones weren't stupid. _Who _are_ these guys? _The vampire was as fast as I'd seen Jasper, which only put me on a higher guard to protect my brother. The thought was barely a whisper on my brain when Seth leapt at one who made a move for him. His fangs made contact with an arm and it sounded like he was biting into granite as he tugged hard, trying to tear the limb away. Jacob jumped in to assist him as Embry and I prepared to hold off the other two. The female hissed.

"You wretched mutts. We don't cow to you're little love bites_." _She smirked. "I take it you're pals with the Olympic coven, here. So kind of them to leave the door broken open for us. Hardly took a lick of effort," she laughed and pulled out a pistol_. "_Silver bullets are so overrated when regular ones are just as effective." She moved to point her weapon at Jacob. Embry and I suddenly leapt at her, snarling as we fought to protect our Alpha. She was remarkably strong and threw us off of her. I could feel Embry hit the ground as the pain of the impact tore through our heads. The female with the gun was toying with us. We were no match for a bullet but she wasn't so quick to fire off rounds. What was she waiting for?!

_The door! Get out! _Jacob ordered. I wasn't about to argue. I could tell already that these vampires weren't your typical run of the mill leeches. Their eyes were blood red, but they were older and far more skilled. I looked to make sure Seth was in the clear as our claws scraped the hardwood floor - kicking up the rugs - and we made a break for the outside. As we got to the open door, we saw a bone white face grin at us from outside as a fourth vampire gripped the handle. He slammed the broken door shut, blocking our first escape. In the form of huge wolves we were unable to open the door.

_The picture windows! _Seth panicked and we scrambled to dodge the vampires who were trying to grab hold of us. According to the legends, one bite and we would in serious trouble. It was risky for wolves to attack vampires one on one. We always did it as a team. The Cullen's house - if we couldn't get out - was virtually a death trap.

We made for the first huge window in the dining room and ran at it, the long drapes that covered the glass hanging in the way. It wouldn't be much of a problem. We were huge Quileute shape-shifters and nothing would stop us, especially once in a fight or flight mode. Jacob led the race and we charged at them, bracing for the impact and cuts that the glass would cause. As we got to the leaping point, we suddenly realized with a sinking horror that most of us wouldn't get that far. From behind the drapes, two more vampires stepped out and laughed at us as we skidded on the floor.

_Keep going! _Jacob shouted. Seth had already slowed too much to effectively make it through and I would not leave him in the house alone. Embry managed to smash through the glass as one of the vampires gripped his fur, following him out. We could see the fight between the two of them in our heads as we heard it through the shattered window. Jacob crouched in front of Seth and I, guarding us with his huge body. _Get out of here. Don't force me to play the Sam card, you guys. Get the hell OUT! _

_Where are they coming from?! _Embry cried into our heads as he was alone, fighting whatever faced him out on the lawn. He was trying to see where they were getting into the house as he fought what was right in front of him.

_This is planned, Embry. Hiding in here all week I'm guessing_, Jacob said, disgust lacing his thoughts.

Our eyes burned from the thick stench of vampires that was getting increasingly worse. The enemy was taunting us, but we barely heard it as we worked on keeping ourselves focused. White hands were scratching at us - razor teeth were trying to bite - but we were strong and full of teeth and claws the same as they. I suddenly heard the sound of gunfire and felt the sharp agony of a bullet wound in my side. I quickly checked myself to find I wasn't bleeding. It wasn't me but it was one of us and our mind link told us the truth in a heartbeat.

_Embry_! My mind cried out for my friend. I was about to completely lose it. We were down to three good fighters. I could feel Embry's thoughts in my head so we knew he was still alive, but wounded and fighting all alone. From the chaos in our minds, it was hard to tell how many vampires he was actually facing. Seth whined at my side. It looked like this was it. _We were stupid to come in this house._

_I'm sorry. This is my fault._

_I'm not blaming, Jake. _I snapped at the faces of the savage creatures I'd been destined to loathe and destroy_. It was good running with you. _

_Yeah. Same here. _I could feel his anger and despair but it wasn't for himself. Of course not. It was for a girl with bronze curls and a sweet smile. I felt sad for her. What would they find waiting for them when they got home? This wasn't at all fair. Our lives never really were. We were creatures of legend and those stories were usually born of blood and tears.

_For Embry._

_For Renesmee._

_For you. _

The three of us got up our last surge of energy to fight with everything we had, looked at the first vampires we could see and charged.


	6. Premonition

(Disclaimer: Twillight belongs to Stephenie Meyer and I own none of it.)

* * *

**Nessie**

As I've been known to say, time is it's irrelevant for beings such as us. In the span of the time it took for us to get to the airport and take to the sky I could have easily run to the ocean and swam halfway across. My heart was beating so fast and I tried to call my friends yet again. There was no response. _Where were they? _

Early this afternoon, we'd been hanging around the hotel suite. I wasn't having such a great time in Italy anymore. I had really been missing Jacob and he was sounding worse and worse every day. He tried to hide the truth from his voice - the sadness - but I knew him too well. My father was probably tired of hearing me think of nothing but Jacob for the entire trip. Fortunately, I have the most amazing family and we all decided to leave early.

I chose not to let the pack know of our change in plans so it could be a huge surprise. As we were packing and thinking of home, Alice suddenly got very pissed off. She began to rant and explained a vision she had as she was getting all her purchases together, demanding that we hurry it up. She apparently saw a group of strange vampires hanging out in our house. She said it looked like they'd been there long enough to be comfortable lounging around, taking liberties with our computers. She had no way of knowing when, but it made sense that they might be there now. We were typically never away from home long enough for that to happen, unless we were on vacation or dead, which was just insane.

I immediately tried calling the pack, but there was no answer. Since they only used a land line, it made perfect sense that they would be out and missing my calls. Didn't they think to check messages?! Did they even know about that feature? It wasn't night in California yet, so they weren't expecting me to call. I cursed and immediately thought the worst, though it was a bit irrational. All of us Cullens had cell phones so there was no landline to call at our house. If there were vampires there, I doubted if they would pick up anyway.

So, we were on a plane, headed for home. I was becoming increasingly worried. I was still unable to get a hold of them. We were more than halfway home and over the ocean when the phone signal died. Edward was holding onto me, my fears a steady stream in his head.

"Maybe they won't go to the house. Maybe they'll stay away and be okay. Why wouldn't they answer the phone so we could tell them?!" Tears began to course down my cheeks and I swiped them away, hugging my knees to my chest. The private plane was on it's way back to the United States, with Carlisle piloting and Esme sitting as co-pilot. My family was looking at me with the greatest sympathy and my mother looked a bit sick herself.

"If Jacob thought that there strangers in our house, he would go there. Even if we warned him, he can be stubborn and over confident. It's probably better that he doesn't know what Alice saw," Bella said. It was true, but didn't make me feel better. I wanted to share the information with him. He deserved to know.

"Sweetie. I didn't see the wolves-" Alice was trying to comfort me, but it wasn't working. Nothing was working.

"That's really not saying much since you _can't_ see them. What if they already tried to fight them and something terrible happened? There are only four of them. Are you sure you don't know when the vision happens?"

"They don't work that way. It's sometime between now and whenever. It could be a month from now for all we know," she said, her large liquid gold eyes looking appologetic. She cocked her head and pulled at her short black hair, unsure of what to do.

"Yeah, like I'd let that happen when I'm around. It's gotta be happening now." Emmett remarked. Rosalie stared daggers at him and smacked his arm.

"Don't say things like that to her!" She turned to look at me with great sympathy. "We'll be there soon, baby. We'll rush home as soon as the plane touches ground." I appreciated Rose's attempt to restore tact, but my uncle was right. The only plausible answer was that Alice saw what was happening now. Either they had been at our house for days now, or they were just breaking in. Did it really matter?

"What if they're there now and the wolves check it out on their own? Jake would do that. He would check up on the house." I started to rock back and forth.

"Jacob can take on a few vampires, easily. " Emmett said, attempting to recover from his slip up. His arms across the back of the seat in front of me. "I've seen him do it."

I picked up the phone and tried it again, but there was still a loss of signal. "Dammit!" I swore and chucked my phone across the plane. It hit a cabinet door and burst into a shatter of pieces, leaving a deep dent in the door itself. I was known for my fits of temper. Right now it was out of control and I was having a meltdown. There was absolutely no real reason to be so panicked. I knew I was acting irrationally, but wasn't that the norm for a girl who's best friend - who happened to be imprinted to her - could be in potential danger?

"Um…I'll try them again when we get a signal." Rosalie offered and pulled out her own phone to keep trying.

Jasper slid into Alice's seat across from me and she scooted over as he took my hands in his. He looked at me and I knew what he was up to. I pulled my hands away from him and sat back in my seat. My father nudged me and whispered in my ear.

"You should let him help. Jacob wouldn't want you this upset," he said softly. I scowled.

"Someone should be. He always worries about me, it's time someone did the same for him," I protested, but Jasper was already sending his blanket of calm over the plane. He watched me and I could feel myself stubbornly fighting to cling to the edges of insanity even as it drifted away. I could feel Edward leave to be replaced by Bella. She took hold of me and pulled me against her. I rested my head on her shoulder as she stroked down my curls.

"You love Jacob. He's lucky to have you care so much about him," she said, her silvery voice soft. "You shouldn't worry, sweetheart." I could detect a hint of worry that she didn't want me to pick up on, but managed to keep that insight to myself. I glanced at Edward, the only one who could see right into the truth of my thoughts. He went to retrieve a cylinder from the refrigerator, pouring blood into a glass. He tipped it back, downing the entire thing before pouring some for my mother.

"We're about two hours away." He handed the cylinder to Alice and they passed it around, all taking some nourishment. It would help when we landed and were confronted with the onslaught of humans at the airport. _And for when we have to kick house thieves out of our home._

"Just take your share," my father handed me a glass of the red fluid. I tipped my head back, not feeling particularly thirsty, but all too willing to go along with whatever he thought was best. I trusted my family to take care of whatever we would find when we got home. They were the strongest vampires I knew. We just managed to visit the Volturi a couple of days ago and get out unscathed, I knew they would be able to take care of a little home security problem.

"Probably just walked right in. I did break the door down..," I mumbled and curled up against the window, watching the darkness. Up this high, the night was unending with the occasional cloud or two. I hoped my friends were being smart. They were werewolves. Their instinct was to fight vampires and Jacob would definitely try to flush any out of our house.

_Just stay away. _

_Be safe… _


	7. Invasion

(Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. It's all Stephenie Meyer's world.)

* * *

**Nessie**

The car hadn't slowed even close to enough before I was out of it, running as fast as my vampire speed would allow. A gun had gone off. A wolf had staggered. I could hear nothing around me but the heartbeat in my head.

I screamed.

_Please no please no please no… _

In an instant I experienced a mixture of complex emotions that would have most likely rendered a mortal unconscious. Fear for the wolves, terror for the one shot, panic that it could be Jacob, relief that it was not, and an overall disgust at myself for feeling that relief. I had no idea who it was, but I knew it was not him. Somehow I knew. Not him but someone I held dear, nonetheless. It took mere seconds for me to get halfway across the long stretch of lawn before a cold steely grip took my arm, forcing me to stop. I couldn't take my eyes away from the scene as the wolf stood and bravely lunged at the vampire who had shot him.

"Embry." Edward growled in my ear. He was holding me back. Bella stopped with us but the rest of my family was circling the house, desire to protect our friends and our home overwhelming them. I was about to scream at them to help Embry, my good-natured friend.

"Carlisle will take care of that. Embry is strong." He watched as Emmett was quick to dispatch the one who followed the wolf out the window. The vampire must not have been too bright. All it took was Emmett's unrivaled strength as his head was crushed in an explosion of gore. Emmett than jumped in the house through the shattered window. Jasper and Alice disappeared into our house by way of the front door as Rosalie and Embry teamed up to destroy the gun wielding female who was still outside.

_Let go of me. _I tugged at my arm, but was still slightly less strong that my formidable father. I was practically pleading with him in my mind to release me. Bella was already moving closer to the house, no doubt to go in and help fight.

"You promise to stay out of the house and I'll let you go," Edward gave me his ultimatum. I tried to cloak any doubt in my mind of the intent to do as he said. My arm was suddenly released and I wasted no time as I raced closer to the scene. My father went to my mother and said something to her that I couldn't quite hear. She looked back at me, concerned.

"Help Embry, Renesmee. He could use a fighting partner if things get bad," she said. I knew Embry could take care of himself, along with the fact that Carlisle and Esme were outside with him. She was just trying to find a reason for me to want to stay out of the thick of the fight. How could they expect me to do that when Jacob was so close?

"Jacob knows you're here, but he's throwing me all kind of interesting threats to keep you out of harm's way. Just do us a favor and humor him, please?" Edward said and then looked at Carlisle as if my grandfather's thoughts drew his attention.

"Edward, use diplomacy if you can." Carlisle said, looking at him with a rather grave expression. What was going on? Diplomacy? Strangers broke into our home and attacked my friends, including my Jacob! Diplomacy?! Was he serious?!

Bella and Edward shot me a stern look before going into the house to do what they could. From outside, I could hear shouting and crashing in our home along with the definite sounds of a piano being demolished. The need to follow them was crushing as I forced myself to remain rooted on the lawn. It was ridiculous the way I was still coddled and protected. My mother had been a vampire only as long as I'd been around and she was in there, risking herself. Jasper had been teaching me to fight. There was no reason why I couldn't help. Why I couldn't fight for the ones I loved. My eyes narrowed. I wasn't going to listen. I was going to be defiant. I was going to actually disobey. Jacob needed me. He was my protector, but he didn't control me and there was nothing to keep me from him.

I began to walk up the steps to the house-

"Renesmee!" I could pick Edward's warning out of the myriad of sounds coming from the chaos inside.

"I promise!" I shouted and stepped down, annoyed that he could hear my thoughts. I was even more annoyed that I reacted so timidly to the sound of his voice. He was obviously honed in on me. I gave up for the moment, my heart tense as I stood on edge. I wrapped my arms around myself and only then remembered the vampire outside the house who was still fighting Embry. I ran to stand with Esme.

Embry growled at his enemy,who coolly raised her gun to shoot him in the head. I felt the urge to run at her and take her on myself. Esme gently held my shoulders and whispered, "Wait."

"How much of this do you want before I rip into your mangy flesh, dog?" The gun wielding terror said to the giant wolf in front of her. He could have easily bitten her hand off, but he wasn't moving. It took less than a second before I realized he had a plan. In the flash of an instant, my aunt Rosalie was right behind her. She had her claws buried in the raging vampire's long hair and she wrenched her head back before the vampire could think to protest. As soon as he had that advantage, Embry sank his fangs in the marble throat. I could hear the scrape of teeth on granite as he ripped out a chunk. He tossed his head, sending the grisly piece flying into the grass. Unable to scream, she blindly shot off rounds from her pistol. My body was suddenly shielded by Esme, but I looked around her to see Embry bite down at the arm with the gun, wrenching it from the writhing body. Rosalie quickly twisted the head, ripping it free from the dying vampire. She dropped it on the body as it slid to the ground. Rose blew a stray strand of golden hair out of her eye as she wiped her milky white hands on her jeans. She looked down at Embry.

"Good, wolf. Now stay away, " she said, kicking the body with her toe. "She's leaking poison all over." Rosalie then backed up and turned to wander into the house. From the way she handled herself in the yard, I had little doubt that she'd impress next to the others.

When she was gone, I didn't hesitate to go to Embry. I could see the bullet wound and winced, though I knew it looked worse than it was. His body was already healing itself, but bullets had to be removed or he'd heal around it.

Esme and Carlisle took us away from the area right next to the house and brought us closer to the brushes. I vaguely wondered why Carlisle wasn't fighting, too, but I knew it wasn't his style. He and Esme were much more peaceful than the rest of the Cullens and would only battle when there was no other option. Not to mention they were probably supposed to keep an eye out for me. Not that I'd ever go against them. Everyone loved Carlisle and Esme to death and I was no exception. However, the two of them never actually asked me to stay in the yard. In that, so far I saw a loophole I was willing to test. I had to always remind myself to guard my thoughts or my father would catch on. I sighed and waited to see if an opportunity would present itself.

"If you could phase, it'd be easier to get that bullet out, Embry." Carlisle's voice was soothing as always, but I knew he was anxious about our family. Embry looked like he was about to protest when he immediately stopped. He huffed and snorted before wandering into the bushes. I wondered if one of the wolves said something to him to cause him to do as my grandfather requested. I positioned myself behind them and waited for a minute until Embry came out of the brushes. He was holding his side as he was directed to lay down in the grass. Embry wasn't a wolf. He couldn't alert Jacob. I found myself very stealthily moving away from the edge of the woods in the direction of the house. Esme and Carlisle were too distracted with Embry to pay much attention to the likes of little me.

I did promise to stay outside, but my heart was fighting for those in my house. For my Jacob. I was so close to him. I had to see. Just to see. I suddenly ran to the house, skipping over the bodies of dead vampires in the yard. I ran up the front steps, my heart pounding, ready to fight if needed. For Jacob Black, I'd fight until I could no longer move, until I breathed my last. I looked into the great entrance and stopped short.

The room was covered in grisly evidence that the wolves had been there. Various limbs and pieces of enemy vampires were strewn about, wet with spilled venom. I could hear the fighting now in the back of the house. I swallowed hard and walked carefully through the rooms, very careful not to make any sound. I passed what had once been my father's piano, now a mess of shattered wood. It would have made me incredibly sad if I wasn't so afraid for the one I loved. I kept telling myself it was irrational to worry so much. He was an Alpha and had the pack and the Cullens beside him. It would be okay. _Keep telling yourself that, Nessie. Maybe you'll actually start believing it._

"Renesmee Cullen! Get out of this house! NOW!," my mother yelled to me and every vampire within a mile radius. "You promised!"

I cursed. I let myself become distracted which must have brought my guard down. My father's sneaky mind reading gave me away and of course he'd tell Bella. I could have run out of the house like a good girl, take a scolding and step back in line. I could have done that, but instead I found myself running full speed to the thick of the fray. Racing to the back rooms, skipping over tipped furniture and bits of debris, I burst into the library and was met with a sight that shocked me to my core. The room seemed to fall out from under me and I couldn't move. The scene was out of a nightmare and my brain fought to deny what I was seeing.

Dead. Mangled corpses, and parts of corpses. Alice! Not her! I bit back a scream as I witnessed two of the enemy gripping hold of Jasper, who was fighting with everything he knew. This was not happening, could not be happening! No one could beat him! It was impossible! Rosalie's golden hair soaked up the pool of blood left by Seth's furry body, both gone from the world. It was too much to take in, I could only stare stupidly at the chaos. This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen. Not for us.

I could make out a flash of reddish brown fur. My heart lurched as I focused on Jacob, but several vampires attacked him, biting into his body as he yelped and fought back savagely. He was bitten countless times and the urge to run to him, to join him, was so strong.

I let out a scream.

Suddenly I could feel the sensation of reality shifting. Not changing, but being put right. The scene dropped abruptly from my sight and was instantly replaced by one I could accept. My beautiful mother focused as she secured her shield around me, obliterating the nightmare from my sight. I quickly took note that everyone was accounted for, the scene a complete opposite of what I'd been made to see.

There were only two of the enemy left. It was all being taken care of. I could breathe again.

I suddenly felt hands catch me and I whipped around, hissing on reflex as I faced Carlisle. He did not looked pleased. He moved me behind him. "Young lady, I believe your parents told you to stay outside. You gave your word that you would."

I didn't want him upset with me. I could take that from any of the others - but not him. "But…" I suddenly felt awkward and clumsy. Me. Renesmee Cullen, half-breed. I had been really stupid, running inside the house, and for what? I looked into the room where Edward had apparently given up on civility as six Cullens and two wolves attacked the remaining two vampires at once.

Wait.

Two wolves. I panicked. Leah and Seth. Where was -?

I felt something shove me behind my shoulder and knew. His scent. How could I have missed that? I turned to the shaggy head that stared at me, black eyes looking into mine. He head butted me and my arms circled his great head as I buried my face in his fur. My tears were wetting his shaggy ruff but I didn't care. There was madness going on in the room near us but all that existed in my universe at that moment was Jacob Black.

"I missed you."

He drew back his head and gently licked the tears from my cheeks. I smiled and swiped the wetness away as I stroked the side of his furry face.

"I'll go outside. I'll wait for you," I said softly.

He yipped and backed up, waiting for me to do as I said I would. I turned and started climbing back through the destruction of our home. When I got far enough, I looked back to see Jacob dash off to return to the melee. I knew he could never abandon his pack if they were engaged in a fight. I thought then of Embry. I would go check on him. It was the thing a pack member would do and I was back with the pack again. Home, again.

I met Embry in the entranceway.

"He is going to be so pissed that I let you go in," he said, looking down at me. I took hold of his arm and walked with him as we made our way through the front door, walking down the steps.

"_Let_ me?! Oh, I think you're off the hook, there."

"No way. You don't have to live with the guy..."

_Not yet…_

From somewhere far behind me, I heard my father growl.


	8. Promises

_(Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.)_

_

* * *

_

**Nessie**

_Send him out. Send him out. Send him out. Send him out. Send him out._

_If you love me, you'll send him out. If you love me at ALL, you'll send Jacob out right NOW!_

_Daddy…please. I know you can hear me. I will keep this up. You know I will. Jacob and Nessie sittin' in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-_

My eyes were fixed on the house as I waited for my father to comply to my wishes. Finally, I got my wish as a tall, beautifully muscular Quileute man walked out of the shambles of my house. He apparently took the time to throw on a pair of jeans that we kept on hand for him. He was striding across the large lawn toward me, the silver glow of the full moon illuminating our place in the world. I knew I should be serious and upset for the situation that had occurred, but all I could focus on was the person walking towards me. I tried to hold back the brilliant grin that threatened to overtake my features. It was a pointless effort. Carlisle and Esme had since gone inside with Embry to assess the damage and the situation as a whole. I told Jacob I would wait and so I refused to leave the yard. Now he was coming to get me. I found myself walking toward him involuntarily as if I had no will of my own. However, when he got close enough, I could see that he didn't seem so thrilled. He even looked…pained. My smile began to fade as my sharp mind tried to quickly analyze him and whatever might be causing him discomfort. I felt a surge of panic. Had he been bitten?

"Jacob…?"

I suddenly found his arms wrapped around me, pulling me close against the hot confines of his body. His cheek was resting against the top of my head and I found my own arms suddenly clutching around him as if holding on for dear life. I never before realized how something so vital to my existence had been missing until that moment. Until I had been without it for only a week. A week that seemed to prove too much for the both of us. "You okay?" I heard my voice crack a little and lifted my head to look into his eyes. My breath caught in my throat as he looked down at me with such adoration and love. He had always seen me in the same way, would always give me that look. I had never quite noticed the impact before. That look that was just for me. The look of imprint.

"Vampires invaded your home, Renesmee." He almost never called me that. His voice was bitter and full of conflicting emotion. I lifted my hand to stroke the side of his face, in an attempt to calm him. He had a lot of heart but when he was upset he could be ferocious.

"And Alice saw it. We came home as fast as we could." I could feel my accursed eyes prick with tears. "I was so worried about you." I looked down in a futile attempt to hide my emotion.

"Nessie," I heard his voice soften. "You know you don't have to worry about me. It's my job to prot-"

"Oh cut that crap, Jacob!" I suddenly glared up at him. He seemed taken aback and his own eyes echoed mine in defense. "I think tonight proves that isn't true!" I pulled away from him, feeling the separation keenly. However, I felt the need to hold my ground.

"There's no need to be so dramatic," he said. "Everything turned out okay."

"But it almost didn't!"

"But it did." He was firm in his stand. In his need to protect me from fear. It was too much.

I stopped and just looked at him. This Alpha wolf who I found myself loving more than was most likely sane. He still didn't know. Before our trip I had been so ready to confess my undying love for him, and now I couldn't find the words. He was still treating me as a child. Needing to protect me. I had Edward Cullen blood that made me pretty deadly but it wasn't enough for him. "We protect each other, Jacob."

He growled and began to pace. It was something he would do when agitated with me. He was loathe to hurt me but would be unable to contain the energy coursing through him, so he would pace. I sighed.

"Just tell me what you want to say. I'm a big girl. I can take it." His eyes snapped to mine and I thought I felt my immortal heart stop for a fraction of a second. He probably noticed me flinch because he seemed like he was about to speak and then stopped. "Please…"

"I can't do this again, Ness. I will not be left behind again. Never again." He said these things to me, advancing as he said each sentence, pulling back to recover afterward. I just sat and listened patiently. I nodded, my own heart breaking at his words. I did that to him. I hurt him. Well, all of us Cullens did.

"I'm sorry," I said, hugging myself.

"What are YOU sorry for?" He practically shouted. "You didn't do anything wrong." His pacing stopped. "At least you're alright, Nessie. That's all that matters anyway. We took on those leeches and you Cullens showed up just in time."

He seemed edgy about the fact that we won, as if there was more to the story that he wasn't telling me. I could tell it in his tone, as if he was trying to confirm the victory to himself. Concealing truths from me was one thing that he was never quite successful with. I wouldn't press him for information. There was time enough for that later.

"Yes. Everything turned out alright - besides the house." I cringed at the thought of it and he absently shook his hand through his hair.

"Yeah. Well, we weren't really thinking of saving the Cullen mansion as we took down the enemy." He smiled a little and it was so infectious that I found myself mimicking it.

"I guess you sure showed them."

He grinned and I felt my heart melt. I reached out my hands and he walked to me, sliding his own hands into mine. I looked up at him for a few moments, thinking over my options for the moment, wondering if it was the right time. When would be a good time? I wasn't one for big setups or waiting for a right moment.

I began stepping backwards, pulling him after me.

"What's going on? Are you luring me to a dark place? Should I start howling for backup?" He joked, but I only continued until we were in the shade of the forest. I felt my back press up against a tree and thought it was as good a place as any. I knew it would be strange for him and wanted us away from anyone who might pry. I took my hands out of his and laid them on his chest.

"Jake. I want to show you some memories. I've had them stored in my head for days. I can't stop playing them over and over." I looked up at him. The moonlight was obliterated by the shade of the trees, but I could still see his dark eyes. He pulled closer and I could feel the heat radiating off his body. The air was chill and I was grateful for his warmth.

"Why do you need to ask? You never ask-,"he began, but I didn't give him time to finish. I slid my palm across his forehead to rest along his face. I decide to share some simple memories to warm up before hitting him with the big one.

_I'm watching you try to catch a fish. I laugh as you look so frustrated. "Maybe you should try your wolf!" I shout to you but you are so determined to do it in your human form. My heart surges with love for you as you fight to impress me. You really don't have to try so hard._

I move on to another memory...

_I'm laying on the couch in your home, my head in your lap as you read to me. It's out of Grimm's Fairy Tales and you are doing voices the best you can. Stroking your free hand through my long hair, I am completely content. You tell me you're happy to read these things to me and I know it's true._

Then, I let the one I really need to show you break through...

_I am facing Aro. It's only a few days ago and I'm terrified, but am working hard to hide it. My family is standing just behind me, Edward has his mind concentrated on mine and my mother is ready to use her shield. The first time I faced the Volturi, I knew they were dangerous, but didn't have the knowledge of them that I do now. Aro wants to see how I've grown. He is curious about me. He reaches out a hand and touches me as I do the same. In an instant all of my life is laid bare before him. He knows all of me, sees my memories and knows my thoughts. I can sense my mother's tension and hope she can hold back long enough for us to finish the transfer. _

_Suddenly my eyes fly open and I am staring into those powerful, milky orbs of his. He has found you in my head, Jacob. I know Edward is seeing the same things and it gives me a small amount of comfort. Aro is seeing you and the pack. The ones I love. The ones I have to protect from his all seeing mind. I feel him pressing the more I fight to protect. You are everywhere, in every thought. I never realized how you've penetrated every single aspect of my existence. You are there, but now he wants specifics. Private thoughts. The way I feel about you. I pull my hand back from him but his hand is still on me, probing. I want to pull away and am about to when I feel my father at my back. He's holding me tightly, his head beside mine, enduring the rape of my psyche with me. After a few seconds, he's had enough. _

"_Bella."_

_Suddenly, the connection is stopped and Edward pulls me back as Emmett moves to stand beside him. They shield me from Aro but it isn't necessary as he is relaxed and casual in his manner. I am being held by Bella and Rosalie as Jasper and Carlisle stand over us. Aro laughs softly. _

"_Your shape shifter friends are important to you. It permeates everything about you, young one." He gazed at me and I felt a surge of protective fear for you and the pack. Edward speaks for me. There are times that I am so grateful for his skill. _

"_You know the shape shifters are no threat, Aro," my father said, diplomatically. _

"_Jacob and his pack are very dear to us. They are a sort of extended family." Carlisle said, his stance powerful yet peaceful. _

_Aro nodded. "I see. Well, they do seem to care very much for dear Renesmee. The one, Jacob especially. I do recall that one." He smirked as he remembered our very close call years ago. "Yes. Quite remarkable. You grew with your heart full for him." He stared at me and I was glad for my mother's protection. I quite wish I had the power to tear thosefilmy eyes out of that head. _

"_What about it?," I murmured. He chuckled._

"_You were an anomaly. You and the other few like you. An abomination of sorts." He sat back and regarded all of us with a dangerously level gaze. "Are we to prepare for another abomination? Another mixing of the blood?" He sat forward and stared into me. I felt a surge of fear but Rose held onto me tightly. _

"_He won't hurt you, baby." She whispered so softly into my ear. I just glared at Aro. _

"_Leave Jacob and the pack alone!" I shouted. My family grew tense and I could feel Bella's shield intensify in strength. _

"_It may be inevitable. You are so very like your mother, here. She all but died for her love. What would you be willing to sacrifice?" He smiled and I lunged foreword, Rose pulling back on me hard. Bella stood up and walked to stand next to Edward. _

"_That's enough. We came here on your request and this visit has turned into an attack against my daughter. Threatening our dearest friends..," she seethed. Edward took her hand and stepped back away from Aro's dais. Emmett remained where he was until my parents were down before following. _

"_As you wish. I was only inquiring. If all goes well for the two of you, I should very much like to see the result of your pairing - should fortune smile on you." The ancient vampire smiled, but I just wanted to get out of there._

"_She is only a child, You presume too much!" Rosalie said, her voice close to a hiss._

"_Do I?" He shot me a knowing look and nodded his permission for us to go. We made our leave without incident. _

My hand slid from Jacob's face as the memories ended. I was suddenly shy. What would he think of me, having such thoughts of him? Feeling the way I did. I slid a hand into my jacket pocket and pulled forth the little promise bracelet that I stored there. I took his hand and opened it, placing the frayed token into it. I closed his fingers and held his hand, looking up at him.

"This gave me strength. I held it the whole time." I felt his free hand stroke my cheek. I brought a hand up to hold the warm palm against my face. It belonged there, scorching my cool skin. "I want you to make me one I can wear. I think I would like a ring this time." I stopped speaking and let my fingers trail over his muscular arms, feeling their strength. He wasn't saying anything and I was suddenly concerned. Maybe he wasn't ready. I was, so I just assumed he would be. How selfish of me. "Or not. If you're not ready, I understand. I was just a baby 10 years ago, after all, and I did kill Bella and you loved her…so…it's weird. Just…just forget it." I suddenly felt like a completely insecure, childish moron. I had an intense need to flee the scene and I would have done just that if strong hands hadn't taken my arms, holding me firmly against the tree that had been at my back. "Jake?"

"Shut up, Nessie. My sweet little she-wolf…," he murmured before I felt his lips brush against my own. I must have been shocked because I couldn't move. All I did was feel those insanely sensual lips work at mine and all I could focus on was him. His scent, his touch, the fact that he was mine. Mine. I heard myself moan as I gave in and kissed him back. I was suddenly starved to have him , my sharp teeth scraping lightly on his lower lip. He released my wrists and I slid my arms around his shoulders, my fingers twisting in his newly chopped hair. I gripped handfuls of the silken strands as his arms wound around my smaller body. My first real kiss was proving pretty intense. It was a perfect representation of my connection to Jacob. I broke it off when breathing became an issue. My hands stroked back his hair and I kissed his cheek and eyes and nose.

"I love you." I'd said it many times before but as his protected, as his best friend, as the object of his imprint, but now it was as it would always be. Except possibly only deeper with time.

"You can't imagine the depth of love I feel for you. I always want to know how you feel and what you're thinking, Nessie. " He kissed my forehead and then my lips once more. I whimpered a protest when he pulled away and he smiled. "Thereare endless more where that came from all with your name on them."

My heart glowed with happiness. This was what we had been moving toward my entire life. Jacob Black and I were together at last. I wanted to be genuinely joyful and completely at peace with it, but something nagged in my mind. It prevented my perfect happiness.

"Jacob…"

"Hmmm," he murmured a reply. I paused as I tried to come up with a way to say what might not be taken the right way. "Just say it, sweetheart."

"Well, you imprinted on me…," I was starting to explain and he was distracting my mind by stroking my hair, kissing the side of my face as his warm fingers trailing across my soft skin.

"Yep. I remember that happening."

"So, you have to feel these things for me. It's like you're forced. I would never want to force you to be with me if you don't want it," I said, my voice catching with my concerns.

"I do. I want it because you do. Imprinting is nearly impossible to describe. It's so absolute and even deeper than love. Just know that my feelings are real, Ness. You are my world." He cradled my face in his hands as he spoke, looking directly into me. It was hard to doubt that gaze.

"I wasn't always. You hated me once."

"What are you talking about? Never." His protest was determined. There was no doubt in his mind that he spoke the absolute truth. I sighed and considered not showing him, fearing it would hurt him. He told me not to hold back, to go with what I felt. So, with a cautious hand, I laid my palm on his face.

_I am minutes old. There is someone hard holding me with a sweet smell and soft voice. I am taken from the room of crying and blood and whisked somewhere much quieter. The one holding me is Rosalie. I know her from before. She has always been close to my mother and I trust her. I am safe, but worried. My mother is in pain. I caused her to hurt. I am being sung to and cradled so I soon forget._

_There are loud noises as someone is running down the long staircase, moving to leave the house. I watch, curiously. There is something about the person. I know he interests me. I squirm in Rosalie's arms and reach out toward him. He turns and it is you. You look at me with such a contemptuous rage that I'm shocked. It is the first time I've known the look of pure hate. Fascinated, I can't keep my eyes off of you. Your eyes are locked on mine. You look defeated in an instant as the malice rolls off you and you lurch closer to me, your eyes softening. By the time we meet, you are mine irrevocably. Forever._

"You kept that memory all this time," he said softly. "I was desperate and hurt. I didn't know you yet…"

"I don't blame you, Jacob. That was a pretty important moment. It deserves to be remembered."

"Why show me this?" HIs voice seemed pained with the memory. I had hurt him, tore open old would that he had all but forgotten about. I reached out and gripped his broad shoulders.

"You never got to choose who to love. That choice was made for you," I moved closer to him and laid my cheek against his chest. I felt him rubbing my back, soothing me.

"I don't mind. It makes me happy to be your own personal wolfman. I want it. I do!" He protested. He was so adorable in his sincerity that I laughed.

"I know! But, I want you to have a choice somewhere. I want you to choose when," I said, looking up at him. "Whenever you're ready to take the next step, you'll know what to do." I stretched up and kissed his mouth gently. "You got me?"

He just regarded me for a moment before lowered his head. I felt his teeth nip at my throat. His hand twined in my hair, gently pulling my head back as he nibbled. "Sure. When I'm ready to marry you, I'll make sure it's a memory worth sharing over and over." He let his teeth graze my collarbone and bit a little harder on my shoulder. I clutched at his hair and he pulled back, kissing me quickly. "We should get back before they send out a search party."

"Oh, I'm sure Edward knows everything."

Jacob gave forth a sound that was like a growl laced with a bit of snarl. "You know, his whole mind reading thing really puts me at an unfair disadvantage."

"Oh, he likes you. You make me happy." I danced across the lawn as we were reminded that we were about to enter the aftermath of a huge fight that destroyed my home.

"You are incredibly spoiled," he said without a trace of disapproval. He was merely stating a fact.

I went to him then, sliding my arm around his back so we could walk in together.

"You would know," I said.


	9. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

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**Nessie**

Our fingers were twined. His hot skin warmed me as we walked into the front entrance of my home and I was glad for his comfort. He can be very intense when agitated, and I could tell fresh memories of the fight were making him want to rage. However, he withdrew into a quiet fury. For me. Because somehow he knew at that moment I required his stillness, though he wanted to rant and shout and express his most basic emotions. At a later time he would unleash his anger. Possibly even rip down a tree. It would be very Jacob and I would need him to be who he has always been. That fierce werewolf that I so depend on and love so much.

Looking over the scene the second time, I saw the damage with calmer eyes and could process what must have occurred. It was dark in the house but Jacob let go of my hand and went to the wall. He turned the dial there and the light softly came up on the main entranceway. I hugged myself when I could see the deep grooves on the floor. Jake returned to me and I reached up for his face. He took my hand, placing it against his smooth skin. I showed him what I guessed had happened - the wolves fighting, digging their claws into the hardwood floors.

"Yeah. Sorry, we had to go and kill the floor," he said, shrugging, but I could see from his flashing eyes that he wasn't very sorry at all. He'd carve up a hole to China if it meant he could tear apart more enemies.

"It was a rough fight," I commented as I clutched onto his arm. He started walking further into the house and I could see the bloody chunks of vampires that I avoided stepping on the first time I'd run through the rooms. Now they were more illuminated and I didn't feel the need to dwell too long on it.

"It was a little tough, but we're the ones still standing." I knew it was much more than that, but he dodged giving me details. It was his way of protecting me. It was typical Jake. I decided to let it slide and went on to the more pressing question.

"Who were they?"

I looked at him, but he wouldn't face me. I could see the set of his jaw and knew he was fighting hard to spare me the truth. What was he protecting me from?

"Jacob?" I wanted him to tell me. What was so horrible? Did everyone know? Was everyone trying to protect me? I faced the Volturi! I was a Cullen and could handle a little something like the truth.

"Renesmee." It was the voice of my father. I looked over to see him standing in the next room, next to the ruins of his beloved piano. My mother was running her fingertips lightly across the polished wood. She looked quite somber over the loss. I broke away from Jacob, stepping over a tipped lamp and several thrown books to stand next to my parents.

"It's only wood and string. It can be replaced, love," Edward said to Bella as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against him. I looked back at the piano and wrapped my arms around myself as memories of the three of us at that instrument suddenly made me very sad. That emotion was interrupted in a moment when I felt Jacob's strong arms slide around me. I closed my eyes and leaned back against him, welcoming his comfort. When my eyes re-opened, I noticed my father was watching us. It was the first time they'd seen Jacob and I as more than the friends we'd always been. Edward was already keenly aware of the thoughts of us both, and as far as I knew he hadn't threatened Jacob yet. It was Bella that concerned me as I wasn't sure how she'd take it. This made me tense, yet Jacob's warmth was fighting to melt my apprehension. Edward whispered something too soft for me to hear and I could see Bella form a small smile. She glanced at us and I knew immediately that things were going to be alright. Her eyes were mirthful but soft.

"It's alright, baby. I'm happy for you," she said to me. "You could do worse than Jacob Black."

"Oh, thanks a lot, Bells." I heard the playful sarcasm in Jake's voice - for me it was the most beautiful sound. My heart felt free. I turned around in his arms and hugged him tightly, smiling despite the reality of the destruction we were standing amongst. I didn't even notice when we were joined by other members of my family.

"Awww…well it's times like this where it's nice not to see your future." I broke away from Jacob and looked over at Alice as she skipped over to us. It was something she would have said with a happier mood, but I could only guess that Jasper's more serious emotion was dragging her down. "With you two, I still get surprises."

Jasper came out from behind her, looking grave. "Sorry to break up your happiness, but we should all meet outside," he said, Alice already on her way. "We need to discuss what this attack means."

My parents followed them out, but Jacob wouldn't move. I normally would have gone with Edward and Bella, but now I found myself choosing to stand still. Sticking with Jacob. I slid my hand to his neck and showed him a picture of the pack. He nodded, so we waited a few moments before a tan wolf skipped from the back rooms and stopped before us. Seth head butted me and I scratched his ears, showing that it was good to see him.

"Hey, Seth. Missed you." Seth was sweet and so honest. He was always welcome at my house and we could sometimes find him hanging out there alone. A lone werewolf in a house of vampires. Completely comfortable with all the Cullens, he was absolutely accepted and a true friend.

"You did good. Go wait outside for us," Jacob said to him. Seth yipped and turned to leave. Rosalie and Esme walked by next. They stopped to make sure I was alright. Rose glanced at us suspiciously before realizing we were finally together. She rolled those golden eyes, but I could tell it was mostly for show. She had to keep up the pretense of her dislike for Jacob or else admit defeat in their feud. I smiled at her and she winked at me quickly before Esme pulled her along.

Embry and Leah came through and with that, Jacob finally moved, walking with them. I was glad to see Leah. She was really great to have put up with Jacob when I was in Italy, and for that I was very grateful.

"Thank you." I said, knowing enough not to touch the gray wolf. She walked beside us for a few seconds and I wondered if she'd even heard me. Then, she moved sideways a bit and bumped into me, snickering a little in her wolfish way. I smiled and left it at that. It didn't seem right to throw a one sided conversation at her when she couldn't talk back..

"Emmett and the doc are coming in a minute," Embry said as we broke out to the yard. I looked around and everyone was watching us as the pack wandered down the steps to gather at one end of the group. Seth had had been sitting next to Edward and Bella, but when we emerged from the house he got up and moved to sit by his sister.

It was nice to be outside. I noticed how different my home felt now that it had been invaded by strangers. Strangers that had intent to kill those I loved. I wrapped an arm around Jacob and rested my head against him, waiting for my grandfather and uncle to emerge from the house and give us their verdict. Alice was smiling at us and I could see Jasper moving closer to me, bit by bit. Rose shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Why don't you just go stand with the wolves, Jazz. Get it over with and get your fix," Rose said, but she wasn't being mean. Jasper shot his sister a look that could kill and Alice took his hand, dragging him over to Jacob and I. She was grinning.

"He needs to settle down. He was making me entirely too emo," she said and I was amused by her use of words.

"Say what?," Jacob asked, obviously needing clarification. I figured he'd have grasped Jasper's emotional ability by now. I touched Jake's face and showed him how I was happy, that he was keeping my heart up over the chaos.

"Jasper feels it and it's helping him not be so severe, which actually helps all of us," I said to him.

Jacob frowned a little, looking at Jasper. "So, you're feeding off us."

Alice smirked. "Yep."

"Leech." Jacob remarked, but he made no attempt to stop it. I had wanted to help, and if my feelings were doing it I was more than willing to share them. We all looked up at the main doorway of the house when Carlisle and Emmett came through. They walked down and stood in the grass with us, the moon and the illumination from inside the house our only light. Rosalie walked over to Emmett, standing next to him, still as a statue. Carlisle looked at Edward and my father began to explain.

"These weren't normal vampires, as we were all made well aware," he said. Bella was looking at me and her eyes were worried. Or sad. It didn't matter. She knew something and it made me think back on Jacob when I felt that he was keeping something from me. Protecting me. My father glanced at me, no doubt hearing my mind work frantically to figure out what was going on.

"They were sent here to Oakwood," he paused for a second. "They were sent to eliminate the pack." I clutched harder to Jacob, but he held on strong.

"More specifically…," Jacob said, his voice filled with distaste.

"Jacob," Edward confirmed. My heart leapt with fear and began to pound hard in my ears. Jacob. MY Jacob.

"What?! Why?!" I looked at my father, demanding he answer me though my voice was small and broken. Bella was already standing next to us, in the blink of an eye she was there. "Momma, why would they want to kill Jake?!"

"Shhhh….no one is killing Jacob." She looked up at the werewolf in question, her eyes reflecting the determination she had to keep her word.

"No one can kill me. I'm freaking indestructible, Ness." Jacob said and I looked up at him, no doubt showing him my worry. He couldn't use those tough guy phrases on me anymore. They lost their fairy tale sparkle. There were cracks in the armor I always believed my guardian angel to have. He could break. I could lose him.

"That's not true. You almost lost today." I stated the truth and stared into him, daring him to deny it. He was quiet and I looked back at everyone. "So…who were they?" My voice was stronger now that I had something to protect. I was finding my inner warrior through my need to keep that which I loved safe.

"It isn't clear who is behind it, but I pulled several names from their minds. Names that all have connections to Volterra," my father continued, keeping his gaze trained on Carlisle. It must have been easier for him to concentrate away from my thoughts if he focused on the one he looked up to for support.

"The timing was too perfect," Embry commented and I remembered he was there. I looked at my friend and he had his arms crossed. "They were in town earlier in the week. I saw them there. We all went there to hunt, but came up empty."

"But why would they wait? If they saw you, why didn't they just attack then?" Rosalie was ever the tactful one.

"They were waiting for a command," Jacob answered, guessing. I was amazed that he wasn't dominating the group meeting. It was a first for him.

"We met with the Volturi days ago. It appears from that moment, they set their trap," Carlisle said, finally taking over the conversation. He turned his attention to Jacob. "They'd been here for only a few days. My guess is they were only waiting for you to come to them. To trap you in the house and most likely destroy you. They probably hoped you would be missing Nessie and would go in alone."

"Well, that just goes to show that they still don't understand us wolves," Embry spoke up, crossing his arms. I was immensely proud of him in the turn of a second. I could never thank them enough for their fierce loyalty to their Alpha.

"No. They don't," Edward agreed. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Everyone's thinking close to the same thing."

"Caius." Alice, Emmett, and Bella all said at once.

"He was acting more suspicious than usual," Esme said, her quiet presense a comfort to me.

"I could feel his aversion to the wolves heightened when Aro spoke of them to Nessie," Jasper spoke up. "He really hates the idea of mixing the blood."

Edward frowned at his brother and shrugged. "Well, I wasn't going to say such a thing since it's my child's blood in question, but yes. He does hate the idea of what could happen…in that respect." Bella shook her head, not feeling the need to sidestep the issue.

"We didn't think Nessie was possible," she turned to look at me. "So, yes, if you are choosing Jacob for your future, a baby is a possibility. However, there aren't any rules against it. They can't come down on us again for that the way they did when you were born."

Edward took hold of her and I was a little embarrassed that we were even discussing children when Jacob and I just very recently became an actual couple.

"But…that wouldn't happen for a long time," I added quickly, just to make sure they knew I wasn't looking to test the Volturi any time soon. I wasn't sure when we would get to the point where we were ready to take that step. I was comfortable with it, but I was giving Jacob the time to discover when he was ready. I wouldn't just assume that he was, because he would do anything to make me happy. I had a responsibility that way. For all I knew, he still saw me as a kid. It was all up to him.

"Of course. We weren't assuming you would…" Alice said, and began to twist her hair.

"However," Carlisle interjected. "I will be sending a message to Aro and his kin, letting them know about the attacks. Perhaps they will solve it on their own. Either way, we must remain on our guard." He walked back up the steps and turned back to look at Jacob and myself, then looked to Edward who nodded. "Renesmee, you need to hunt and rest. It's been over a day since you've had sleep." He then looked at the rest of our group. "We should all hunt, actually. First, we need to take care of the dead."

Rest? How was I going to rest? My room was probably reeking of the vampires that now lay strewn all over the house.

"You can stay with Jacob and the pack," Edward said to me. "We've already discussed it - before you began assaulting my mind to get him out of the house." He hugged me to him and Bella looked sternly at Jacob.

"Jake. Just…do me a favor and be good. Okay?"

"What do you guys take me for?! I'm the safest guy," he said, attempting to defend his honor. There was my snarky friend. He was finally letting himself go. I took hold of his arm and pulled on him, edging him away from everyone. "She's off limits in that way that you're thinking. Actually, you have the dirty mind, Bella. Thinking such thoughts…"

"Someone will be over later to help guard you all in case you need to rest," Bella said. But then she was quick to add, "Not that I don't think you are capable of protecting Nessie yourself, Jacob. Or, guarding your pack."

_Send Emmett. They can all play videogames or something. _I let my father know my request as I yanked on Jacob then, dragging him in the direction of my car. "Let's go, then." I wanted the three of them to stop dancing around the subject of sex. It was a fact of the situation of their friendship that the three of them had a fiery history. I knew that. I accepted it. I just didn't need to hear about it. Now it was accepted that Jacob and I were forever just as much as my parents were. That was what I needed to focus on now.

Jacob suddenly stopped. "Wait just a sec." He dashed up the front steps and disappeared inside. The rest of my family had begun the grisly task of collecting up all the body parts and a pile was quickly forming. A few minutes later, my werewolf came back with fresh clothes for me tucked in his arm. "Okay." I was touched that he'd thought of such a thing and went to the garage to retrieve my Audi. Seth and Leah wouldn't fit, so they decided to run for it and meet us back at their house. The thought of sleep was actually beginning to sound pretty nice. I found myself yawning as I sped along the dark road.

"You guys came by just in time. I still can't believe our luck." Embry said from the back seat and I looked in the rearview mirror. Of all of them, he'd come closest to a bloody end. If we hadn't gotten there when we did, it could have been too late. He looked a little disturbed by his close call now that he was away from the Cullens. He could finally be honest with himself in a place where he felt safe.

"Hey, when we get to the house, do you want to play Halo 3? It's literally been a week and I'm having withdrawal," I said, knowing there was no way he'd refuse. I wanted his mind distracted so he could relax. Jacob looked over at me and gave me a look that made me melt into my seat. That imprint look. However, the lines between that look and a new one that ran deeper were blurring. Or, rather, I just didn't notice it as the look of imprint anymore. He was pleased with me and it made me happy. Bring on the Volturi. Bring on odds that might threaten to overcome my happy future. I had an arsenal built of my love for him to keep me fighting.

A few minutes went by and we drove in silence before I received a response from Embry.

"Nessie, anytime is always a good time for Halo."

Jake and I laughed.


	10. Pillow Talk

_(Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.)_

_

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**Nessie**

_"Look Nessie! I found something for you!" Jacob said, jumping around the field of grass and flowers. He was in wolf form and seemed overly excited to show me something. I skipped to where he was bouncing about like a foolish puppy - when suddenly he was one. Or rather, a little fluffy wolf cub. I bent to pick him up, the russet creature licking my face ecstatically. _

_"Jake! Stop!" I laughed and he paused, his soft little ears perking up. "What?"_

_"Incoming!" I heard his voice shout in my head and looked around frantically for the source of his alarm. There was the loud sound of an explosion followed by rapid weapons fire. I looked down at the Jacob wolf cub and he had a dome shaped helmet over his head. "Let's go!"_

I opened my eyes with a start. The sounds of creative chaos were coming from the large television in the pack's house where they were playing video games. I stretched and looked up at the one who I was resting against. Jacob had one of the wireless controllers and I could tell he was trying hard to remain still as he played so he wouldn't disturb me. Embry and Seth were jumping up, their arms moving around as if it would make a difference. All three were growling and cursing as they tried to keep each other organized. I smiled and sat up. Jake glanced at me quickly and then leapt up to the edge of the couch, holding his arms out as his guy ran across the screen. I laughed and rested my hand on him, scratching his back through the cotton shirt he'd thrown on. He flexed his back against it and I kept doing it, knowing it felt nice to him.

"I wonder if my dad is sending anyone over," I mused and Jacob turned to look at me, gesturing to the armchair on the other side of the couch. I looked over and Emmett waved as he handled a controller with quiet ease.

"Hey, you," he said to me.

"Hey. How is everything back home?" I had to ask. It was not a pleasant task they were undertaking.

"It's being taken care of. Don't even think about it," he said as his fingers flicked deftly over the buttons in his hand. His eyes were staring, unblinking at the screen.

"Well, it's my house, too. I'll go over tomorrow," I said as if challenging him to prevent me from it.

He nodded. "By tomorrow it should be cleared up."

I sighed and yawned, more tired than I wanted to be. Keeping his eyes on the screen, Jacob asked in a hushed tone, "Why don't you go upstairs? Leah put fresh sheets on my bed for you before she turned in." He glanced at me for a second and smiled. "I'll be up soon."

I glanced at my uncle, but he pretended not to hear us. Instead he shouted with my friends when they'd secured a particularly tough area. "And the vampire dominates the playing field!", he shouted with a triumphant grin. Pillows, television remotes and other such things were then chucked at Emmett, who dodged them all and laughed. I found myself smiling, glad both sides of my life were finally finding common ground. I stood up and ruffled Jacob's silky black hair.

"Night, guys," I said to everyone and headed out of the room. I heard them all call back to me as I made my way up the stairs to the second level. Walking down the hall, I thought of how much the house reminded me of my first house growing up. It was rustic and was more of a glorified cabin than anything else. It was warm and comforting. Esme was really good at reading people and knowing what they'd prefer. I walked past the closed door to Leah's room and wandered down to the end of the hall to Jacob's room. I'd been in there countless times before, but now it would be different. Well, now everything would be different when it came to the two of us.

When I was little, Quil explained to Claire and I what dream catchers were. I was only four and she was six at the time, but it was as if I were almost twice her age. He showed us how to make them and I followed his instruction, creating one of my own. I added beads, feathers, and long leather ties. I was so proud of it and presented it to Jacob. I told him it was to keep his bad dreams away. He must have been impressed because it remained over the head of his bed all these years. So did some of the drawings I'd scrawl. My mother framed one I'd done of Jacob and I and it was sitting on his dresser.

I sat on the edge of his bed, looking at the clothes he'd thought to grab for me. I pulled out some pajamas and was quick to change into them, rolling up my dirty clothes. I found his hamper and dumped them in, believing it to be the right thing to do. Esme took care of those kinds of things at my house. Not always being certain of the correct way to do things tended to be a problem sometimes. My vampire family did things differently than humans did. Bella remembered being human more than the others and tried to raise me as human as she could. Jacob and the pack filled in the gaps for me when I was at a loss.

There were some skills that I had yet to pick up. For example, I had no idea how to really cook. When I wanted something apart from my liquid diet, I usually called for take out, or used the microwave to heat frozen food. Bella liked to make me dinner, and I'd watch her and my father try to create things they'd see in books or on food network. When they'd make too much, I'd bring the leftovers to the pack and it'd be gone in no time.

I smiled at the thought as I crawled over Jacob's bed to settle near the wall. I knew that half the time he liked to sleep outdoors in wolf form, but the duvet and blankets smelled like his wild, woodsy scent. I gripped the pillow and curled up, looking out into the room. The lamp by his bed was casting a soft glow over everything, creating friendly shadows along the walls. I noticed a book on the bedside table. Sitting up, I reached for it, dragging it to the bed. I flipped it open and saw it was a mechanics manual of motorcycles and engine parts. I settled the book on the covers and leaned on one elbow, flipping through it idly. Jacob was good with trucks and engines. I knew that, but I just assumed with great ignorance that it was simply a thing a guy would know. How could I have missed this part of who he was. Obviously it was something that really interested him. Was I really so self absorbed in my own life that I'd allowed his to disappear? I closed the book and dragged it to me, pulling it under the pillow.

I could hear him downstairs, telling the guys he was leaving them for the night. I laughed when Emmett warned him to be good and he assured Emmett that he'd be virtuous. Of course he said this in his snarky, snappy way. Oh, Jacob. Just get your tail up here. I quickly snapped off the light and hugged the blankets to me, pretending to sleep.

I could hear his quiet footsteps down the hall and heard the door open as the air stirred very subtly. I cracked my eye open a mere fraction to see him move around, trying so hard to be silent. He reached back to grip his shirt, pulling it over his head, his hair sticking up all over as he tossed the wadded up cloth into the hamper. He turned and I could see from his silhouette that he was watching me. I tried to keep my breathing even so he wouldn't suspect I was awake. When he went to undo his pants, I snickered and flung the extra pillow at him.

"You little sneak," he growled and jumped on the bed, fighting to tickle me. "I was about to wolf out and take the floor. I thought you were asleep!" I was much stronger than he was but let him pretend that he could get me before flipping him onto his back, pinning his arms over his head. I grinned down at him, my long hair a curtain around my face.

"Half vampire. It's my nature to be sneaky," I said, justifying my impeccable ability at being stealthy. I stared at him in the dark for a few seconds before releasing his wrists. I could see him as shadows and could feel his very warm body under me. I bent my head over his and kissed him. These kisses were quickly becoming a new experience I couldn't get enough of. I heard him growl, and he broke off the kiss when he found his strength, sliding out from under me. He pulled me under him, his fingers stroking the hair away from my face. I felt his warm breath before he kissed me back. My hands slid up to his shoulders and neck as I responded to him, a warm tingling coursing through my body.

It was an addiction. My Jacob addiction. "Jake?" I said once my lips were able to form words.

"Hmmm?", he murmured as he nuzzled my neck, nipping the soft skin. I laughed.

"We should probably stop. We promised we'd be good and it gets harder every second." He bit my shoulder and I hissed, clutching at his hair, finding my will to stop dying fast.

"You're not kidding," he groaned and flipped to his back. I lay next to him and rolled over on my side. He reached out to gather me closer, and I slid over to rest against him, my head against his shoulder. He was quiet for a while and I was content to just be with him again. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Always," I responded, shifting so I could look down at his shadowed face. "I want us as equals, Jacob. It's how this will work the best, I think. You can ask me anything." I stroked his head and then settled myself back down against the warmth of him, waiting for him to continue.

"If I ask you to wait - if we wait for possibly even years - will that upset you?" His question was something I didn't expect. I had told him it was up to him but I was amazed that he would be able to wait. He was always so eager and impatient for most other things. This was a pretty big thing.

"No," I said. I didn't want him to know that I was screaming inside, wondering how I would be able to wait for that when he was around me practically all the time. It might possibly prove to be torture. "I already said you can choose. I won't go back on it."

"But you're disappointed."

"Jacob. Most people are still in elementary school at my age. I understand and I can wait. I'll survive." I wrapped my free arm around him, resting it on his chest. I was curious to know why he wanted to wait, but I wouldn't ask. I had my own misgivings about rushing into things, myself. I had wanted to talk my fears over with Jacob and it seemed like the best time. "Waiting for a few years might be best. We don't want to give the Volturi any reason to do anything more any time soon, if they were the ones who sent those vampires against you." I had been concerned about them since my visit with Aro. Now, the thought of danger returning to hurt Jacob and the pack was more than I was willing to deal with right away.

"Don't let them scare you, Ness."

"We'll always be dealing with them. They're interested in us. They were interested in me when I was just born. It's one of those unsavory things that just comes with being what I am," I said, sitting up. "I'm really sorry to bring that down on the pack. They never asked for any of this."

He shifted himself and sat up, reaching to snap on the light. I could see him clearly now. He leaned against the headboard and watched me, those deep set eyes staring into mine.

"They're free to go. I don't force their will." He paused for a moment before continuing. "The same goes for you. There's no way on earth I'll ever stop loving you, being here for you. But if you're afraid of a relationship with me, you can always bail out," he said softly, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Bail out of what? Of us?" I knew I sounded a little offended, but I was. "I chose you, Jacob. Doesn't that count for anything? I chose _you_. I want you. You're the one who knows me best. You know everything about me and you aren't afraid or judgemental. You think I'm cute but you don't fawn all over that. You treat me as an equal and no other guy ever can. Well, an equal smothered in unconditional love." I paused in my little rant, gathering the remainder of what I had to say. He was patient, but now he was starting to smile.

'If some ancient vampire coven insists on getting involved with my happiness with the one I choose, well then I'll fight them!" I tried to sound braver than I felt. "You are the best thing in my life and I'm not giving you up. When a vampire chooses her mate, it's forever." I was quick to finish and when I was done, I sat patiently. I was aware that I probably looked like a prim little princess in pajamas, stating her mind. Jacob was just looking at me, smiling. "What?"

"I wish I had that on digital. Can you redo that so I can play it over and over when my esteem takes a hit?" He reached out to take my smaller hands in his. "You are incredible." He said to me. I bit my lower lip, the nails I would normally pick at unavailable, and broke eye contact. "How did I ever get so lucky? The most amazing girl in existence just had a rant about me. You'd even fight the vampire mafia for us." He was obviously very amused by my little declaration.

"Fighting? We both know I'm no fighter. They'll just take one look at me and run."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. My fierce werewolf protector is a very scary monster and he never leaves my side." I smirked and dared a glance up at him. He looked so irresistible and I couldn't help but crawl to him and kiss those lips I craved. He was very responsive, as always

"Oh!," I broke away and sat back. "I wanted to ask you something." He raised a brow and settled back down. I slid my hand under the pillow and pulled out his book about motorcycles. I held it up my hands face out, and looked at him. "What's this all about?" He reached out and took the book, flipping through it absently.

"It's just a book. Something I used to mess around with."

"So, why don't you mess with it now?", I asked. If he had this on his bedside table, he was obviously interested in it.

"I dunno. I just have someone more interesting to pay attention to now. Nessie, why are you asking?" He seemed agitated that his interests would be of importance to me.

"Because I just want to know what makes you happy. I want to know what makes Jacob tick…besides me," I was quick to add the last bit. I could see him ready to respond with something referring to me. Trying to break through the imprint to get to who he was would be an adventure I was very willing to take on. "I want to know who you were before meeting me. Obviously, you are a motorcycle guy." I smirked.

"Well, I do know how to fix bikes and make them faster," he said and I could detect a flash of excitement awakening in him.

"Yeah?"

"I just never thought this would interest you. Engines and stuff." He tossed the book on the bed and I picked it back up, hugging it to my chest. I could see that he was opening up and pushed further.

"We should get some bikes. You could teach me how to ride!" I tried to keep my voice low and hushed, my excitement threatening to wake up Leah. I didn't need a snarling she wolf angry with me. Jacob seemed wary about the idea, like he was having an inward struggle.

"Are you afraid I'll get hurt? Jacob, I won't. Even if something happened, which it won't, I'm really strong and heal really fast," I said, resting my hands on his shoulders. "It'll be okay."

He seemed to melt under my insistance. "Okay," he said. "But, you have to ask Bella for the bikes."

I bit my lip, knowing how protective my mother could get. I would make sure I asked both my parents. They could discuss it together. Sometimes that worked in my favor, unless they were both wildly opposed.

"Alright. I'll ask her."

Jake smiled in a secretive way and I wondered if there was some reason I had to ask my mother specifically. They had a history of friendship and I still didn't know everything, which was probably for the best. He took the book and put it back on the table before reaching down to pick up the pillow I'd thrown at him. Stuffing it back in it's place, he snapped off the light and lay back. I settled against him, and he wrapped his arm around me, lazily running his fingertips along my back.

"Want to get under the covers?", his voice broke the silence.

"You're warm enough," I answered, content to use his high body heat to keep me comfortable. I let my eyes close and only then was I reminded of how much my own body needed sleep. Then Jacob moved a little and I waited for him to settle. I felt a whisper soft layer of cashmere fall on me as he gently covered us with the blanket than had been at the foot of his bed. Curled up against my werewolf, it was the first real sense of calm in days.

I surrendered to my dreamland.

Where my little Jacob cub was waiting for me.


	11. On The Road

(Disclaimer: Twilight doesn't belong to me. It's all Stephenie Meyer's)

(I'm giving Leah the reins for awhile. I missed her voice and she has things to work through. Though primarily a Jacob/Nessie story, Promised has essentialy become a story about imprinting and how it affects those it touches. Leah has been greatly affected by the phenomenon, so I feel that it works to explore her experience a little here. -Z)

* * *

**Leah**

"_That's not a bad idea. You can get away for awhile as we try to settle this mess."_

Those were the sentences uttered by Doctor Carlisle Cullen that confirmed the pack's next move. It was prompted by an idea brought on by my own Alpha, Jacob, and his "whatever", Bella Cullen. Oh, how the merriment shall ensue.

It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the good doctor's intent to keep us safe as the crime scene cooled down some. Jacob was right in his insistence that Carlisle was essentially a good person. My trust of the vampires was tentative, but he was the one most likely to earn it. So, I begrudgingly went along with the new plan to travel back to Washington State and visit our families.

I rode in the passenger's seat of Embry's truck with Seth in the back seat. The window was down and I squinted at the light that was striking everything with a reflective surface. Ahead of us was Edward and Bella riding in his shiny silver Volvo. I growled and picked my bag up off the floor of the weathered truck, rifling around until I found my sunglasses. I slid them on and threw myself back in my seat.

"Does that guy always have to show off?", I muttered, annoyed by Edward's car all of a sudden. It was mostly due to annoyance of the situation and the fact that we'd been traveling for almost four straight hours without a break.

"What are you talking about?" Seth asked from the back seat. He glanced up from his video game, looking around to see who I was referring to.

"Cullen's car," Embry chimed in as he changed the play list we were listening to.

"Oh." Seth went back to his game. "He doesn't show off. He can't help being rich and liking silver cars…"

Leave it to my little brother to defend his friend. I sighed and let the breeze blowing in from the window calm my tension. It wasn't the vampires that bothered me. I knew it had to do with the old pack, with old memories. I'd tried to avoid traveling back to my old stomping ground ever since moving to California. Now, we were heading back in the direction of my old wounds that were now just mental scars.

I was beginning to fall asleep when I heard a phone trill. I snapped awake and stretched, looking over at Embry, who picked up Bella's phone. Since the pack doesn't use cell phones, we had to divide out the ones we had so each group had at least one.

"Hey," Embry said into the tiny device. I watched him as he listened to whatever was being said. "Yeah, we could use a stretch. See ya in a bit." He flipped the phone shut and set it back on the dash. He glanced in the rearview and then looked at me. "Bella says there's a trail entrance up here we can stop at."

Sometimes it really paid for Edward to be so intuitive. He would know the pack was getting restless. The Volvo started to slow down and move to the right lane. We followed suit. Suddenly, the two who trailed behind us shot past the vehicles, taking advantage of the slowing speed. I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't help but smile. Jacob was in control of a bike again. It was a Harley of some kind, though I really couldn't give a care about the specifics. He was driving and Nessie was holding onto him. They were both wearing helmets at the insistence of Bella. It was kind of sweet, actually. Jake was finally himself again. He was happy, which made all of us happy. Hey, whatever worked.

We slowed up and rolled into the small space on the side of the road. It was shaded enough for the two vampires to be sheltered from the direct sunlight. Edward parked close to the trees and both he and Bella got out of the car. She was staring daggers at Jacob and I thought we were all about to have a friendly little species brawl.

"What on earth were you doing?! Safe, Jacob! Renesmee IS capable of breaking and-," she was shouting at Jacob, but Edward moved next to her and took her hands in his so she couldn't gesture with the speed of light any longer. It was freakish. I couldn't help but burst into laughter. She shot me a look.

"Sorry. Yes. He was very bad," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Geez, Bells. Get a grip. I'm quite capable of steering a bike. Just because you have issues with it-"

I heard a high pitched growl and Edward lunged for Bella, holding her back before she could attack. Jacob quickly crouched in a defensive position.

"Uh…okay, Bella. Look, I only brought so many changes of clothes. I don't need these shredded if I have to phase while in them, so can you calm down?" Nessie sighed and stomped over to her parents.

"You're overreacting. Jacob's really good at this." She glanced at Edward and raised a brow. "I'm mostly vampire. Nothing's gonna happen to me. Even if I fly off the thing. I'll be fine."

Bella appeared to relax and regain her cool composure. She glanced at Jacob and back at me. "Well, I guess. I just know how dangerous those things can be. I sometimes forget you are stronger than I used to be."

"And less likely to fall over her own feet," Edward said, looking away. He smirked a little, as if he was remembering the past. Bella turned to look at him and he was somehow capable of melting all of her attitude with a single look. She sighed and he hugged her close to him. I suddenly felt the dire need to remove myself from their presence.

"Okay! So! Now that that's behind us, can we go run?" Embry started walking into the woods and I was on my way to follow him. Running would allow us to release the energy we'd been storing up for the past several hours.

Nessie hung back with her parents to have a chat with them about their over protectiveness while the rest of us went about phasing. We took off running through the new environment, fresh grass and dirt under our feet. Part of me felt sorry for Nessie. Being an only child could have it's drawbacks. Being the only child that Bella and Edward would ever have must be absolutely brutal at times. Bella still remembered her human life enough to know that Jacob's ability to teach motorcycles could have it's drawbacks. However, Edward wasn't wrong that in her human life, Bella had a complete lack of balance. It was almost comical if not tragic. Vampirism took care of that. Nessie was half vampire, but Bella seemed to forget that whenever anything remotely daring was on the agenda.

_Hey, don't blame Bella_, Jacob said. _Ness is her only kid. I just let her rant and get over it. _

_It's just good that Edward's around when she gets aggressive, _I quipped.

_Yeah. No kidding_, Jacob's mind voice was mirthful and he kicked up the speed. The three of us chased after him. I could feel Seth and Embry's excitement and apprehension at seeing our friends again. Since leaving one pack to form Jacob's, some tension had formed between the two groups. I wasn't sure if it would have dissolved at all. It had been about five years since we'd left La Push. I think I'd only visited once since then.

_It'll be cool, Leah. We can see mom_, Seth said. He ran closer to me.

_And Quil and Claire_, Embry said.

_Yeah, _I sighed as I hoped seeing the people I really missed would ease my reservations_._

_And Paul._

There was a collective groan from all four of us and then we slowed down, snickering wolfishly. We found an open area and we all settled on the ground. We chewed grass and let ourselves just be in our wolf mindset. I did want to see my mom and Billy. It had been too long.

_We'll just spend most of our time there. I'm not sure how Sam will take to having us around_, Jacob said, his reddish brown wolf's head looking at me. _I'll take care of that, though. Don't worry about it, Leah._

_I'm not_.

_Liar. _

_Whatever_. I stood up and shook my fur of the leaves that clung to me. I started to walk and suddenly caught the scent of something deliciously tempting on the breeze. _You guys getting this? _I looked back, but didn't have to. A flash of fur sped past me as the guys obviously did catch it. A small herd. We were off, dashing through the trees as the thrill of a hunt caught us up in it's excitement. The herd caught our scent and was trying to scatter, but there was not much our prey could do to escape once we had a lock on them. We were simply too fast and big for them to dodge.

_Five. There are five_.

_One extra._

"Not quite." We heard the voice above us as we caught the scent of Edward, flanked by Bella and Nessie. Edward must have heard our collective bloodlust. "We only need one."

_Perfect. _

Suddenly our fangs were making contact with frightened animals, and blood was soaking our muzzles as we took down our kills. I could only focus on burying my teeth into my meal as instinct took over. Feeding on the freshly killed was one of the most difficult aspect of being a shape shifter when I'd first phased. It took years, and tremendous amounts of patience on Jacob's part before I was completely able to allow myself to be what I was. When I let myself go and simply existed as the wolf, the savagery was intoxicating. Only with my pack would I let myself be that wild. Our collective mind helped keep mine where it needed to be.

I fed like a beast on Animal Planet. Damn, was it good.

When I was finished, I lifted my head and could see where Jacob and Nessie were sharing a kill. It was common for them to share if there wasn't enough for them to have their own. I walked away from my kill and scraped up some leaves from the ground to half cover the carcass. Embry met me, and his mouth was bloody. I snickered.

_You should see yourself_, he said.

_Yeah. I'm sure_.

We were able to round everyone up. The two vampires were finishing up with their deer, neat as ever. Not a drop of blood spilled. It must be nice to be so cool about such a thing. I couldn't help but make a mess of myself every time I fed on a beast.

I blinked and Edward was beside us. Bella soon followed as we all gathered together. Jacob gave Edward a meaningful look and he nodded.

"We should get going. We've got about six hours of sunlight left," he said. A beam of light hit through the trees and reflected off his shimmering skin. I averted my gaze, the effect was blinding. "As I was saying," he moved out of the beam and smiled. "The two of us could use the tinted windows. When it's night, we can stop so you can sleep."

The next time we visited La Push, I was taking a plane.

Edward laughed and I made a snarky noise. _How much longer?_

"We'll be there tomorrow afternoon."

Satisfied, I started to run. I could feel the others close behind me as we made our way back to the cars. We found our clothes and changed back into them. Our faces still had some blood on them. A nasty side effect of transforming after eating. I opened the back door of the truck and retrieved the box of baby wipes I kept there. I passed them around as the pack members took one, wiping ourselves clean.

"Gross." We shoved the smeared cloths into a trash bag and tossed it all in the back seat. I passed out water bottles that we all chugged down in record speed.

"Bella. You don't have to look at us like that. It's ME. Be chill." Jacob warned her as he passed Nessie her helmet. The girl put it on her head and they got on his bike. Bella put up her hands in a surrender.

"I wasn't going to say anything, Jacob. I'm trusting you." She slid into the car and shut the door.

We were taking off down the road again and I couldn't help but watch the side mirror as it reflected Jacob and Nessie. They were lucky. So damned lucky. So many obstacles stood in their way and they broke through all of it to be together. I was a little nervous to go back to Washington, but my focus would be on my mom and Billy. I might visit Emily. To test myself. Possibly see Sam. It would be rude not to. But since when did I care about being rude? I looked at my reflection in the small mirror and could see the dark eyes that looked back. I was changed. I knew it had to do with my new family. They were everything to me. Our little pack. I just hoped the new Leah would be able to overcome old memories.

The phone rang and I took it before Embry could pick it up.

"Hello."

"Your pack loves you and you're a solid friend to my daughter," the velvety voice filtered through the tiny speaker. "Anything that happened in your past made you the strong woman you are today. Don't let the shadows hold you back." I froze and could hardly believe a vampire was saying such things to me. "The past makes us but it doesn't have to define us. I should know."

I hung up the phone and looked at the car ahead of us. I stared at the figure that was shadowed by dark glass. There was an uncharacteristic lump in my throat and I forced back a tear. Even though I knew what he said was true, I just found it hard to accept. I wanted to shout at him to shut up. That he had no right to tell me who I was and how the past affected me. I scowled, but it was in defense of myself. I swallowed hard and stared at the silver car as I winced from the glare, sliding the shades back on my nose.

_I hope you're right. _


	12. Old Wounds

_(Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine. It belongs to Stephenie Meyer.)_

* * *

**Leah**

It was getting on into evening when we finally drove into La Push. The reservation was the same as it'd always been. Same houses, same roads, same trees, only quite a few years older than the last time I'd been to visit. I looked out the window and when I could see the beach, I suddenly longed to run into the waves. My rarely sentimental heart suddenly ached and I frowned at it, forcing myself to be strong.

I'd missed it. I actually missed my old neighborhood. The place where I'd been stricken with profound heartache and the most life altering changes in my life. I glanced in the rearview mirror at the two who had given me another option all those years ago. I'd been so resistant of accepting the girl who'd become a little sister. If it wasn't for those hard times then, I wouldn't have the peace and purpose that I do now.

I settled back in my seat, but Seth was leaning forward as we followed the silver Volvo through town. I knew practically everyone who stopped to watch us pass. That was the thing with us Quileutes. Wolf or not, everyone still knew everyone's business. Edward turned off down the road that would lead to Billy Black's house. Of course we would be headed there first and there would be a good chance my mother would be there. Although they were never actually married, Sue Clearwater and Billy Black were together. Seth liked to use that in the early years of our pack to strengthen the bond between himself and Jacob. Seth was a sweet sentimental fool. Ah, brothers.

We all parked in front of the faded house. I saw Jacob park his bike along the back near the garage as we all stepped out of the vehicles. The timing of our arrival was perfect as Edward and Bella weren't disco balling their shimmer everywhere.

"Smell that air!," Embry said and inhaled really deep. I had to admit, it did smell nice. It smelled like home.

"What's this in my yard?!," we heard a voice from the house before the front door opened. Jacob ran around the side of the house and grinned widely when he saw Billy push his chair to the doorway. His voice sounded stern, but he was legend at tricking us with it. When he saw Jacob, however, he wasn't able to hold onto his strict expression.

"Hey, dad."

"Son, you brought your entire clan." Billy was keeping it light, but I knew he was referring to the vampires. Although Jacob had dissolved the old treaty that kept the Cullens and Quileutes at odds, the old prejudices and cautions still held. As they say, old habits die hard. I should know.

"We won't be staying in La Push. Charlie's been wanting us to visit for awhile," Bella said, hovering back. Billy eyed here carefully and nodded.

"He'll like that. He's missed you, kid," he said, staring into her. I almost felt sorry for the girl, but hey, she made her choice. "So, where's your girl, Bella? I can't imagine you all came up here without her."

Jacob looked like he wasn't sure if he wanted to bring Nessie around. She was on the side of the house and he was trying to prevent her from sliding out to present herself. Protecting her from Billy's disapproval.

"Jacob, I'll be okay." I heard her soft, bell like voice before she quickly moved around him and walked to see her future father-in-law. I watched them carefully. She was putting on her very best, charming persona. She smiled brilliantly and it was suddenly so obvious how she was Edward's child. All of his vampire powers were transferred to her and the air was suddenly a touch sweeter. I tried not to gag on it. Billy just stared at her, transfixed.

It lasted only seconds.

"Renesmee. Good to see you sweetheart. I see you've grown some." He was shrewd and knew better than to fall for the obvious glamour of the undead. He was being much nicer than he would if she hadn't happened to be his son's imprint.

"Well, I seem to have stopped growing. So, this is it I guess." I could see that she attempted to look as human as possible, to shift her weight on one foot and appear shy. It was so much more of an act that she usually put on and I was highly amused by the display. She was never so fake with us. Jacob put his arm around her and she let herself fall into the shadow of his body.

"We ought to get going," Edward's velvety voice broke through and everyone looked at him. He nodded at Billy and the older man just looked at Edward cautiously, but then nodded in return.

"Dad, I'll be back later, if you want. I just need to see Charlie for a little bit and stuff," Jacob said to his father. Billy smiled then and looked at him, then the rest of us.

"Sounds good! You guys stayin'?" He was referring to the pack. We all walked over to the house and stood in front of him.

"If you want us around," Seth said and Billy laughed.

"Your mother would never let me hear the end of it if I let you go. She's helping out at the store, but will be back later tonight. I'll call her and see if she'll bring home a little extra."

The guys followed Billy into the house and I turned to watch as the three Cullens and Jacob piled into Edward's car. Nessie looked out the window and waved at me. I only raised my hand in goodbye as I saw them drive away.

Jacob was gone but he was coming back. The thought that he was gone at all gave me anxiety that I hated to admit. I frowned and forced the emotions down. How long would it take for the word that Jacob's pack was in town to get to Sam. Someone would have called him the moment we entered town. Or, one of his pack would have alerted him by now, which meant everyone knew.

_Wonderful._

******************

We'd settled ourselves in the living room and after only a half hour or so, I'd forgotten my anxiety. The guys were letting Billy in on everything that it seemed safe to talk about. It all mostly involved minor mishaps having to do with Jacob since he was the one of us not present. We were all getting very comfortable, laughing and catching up on the news when Billy's sly set up caught us off guard.

"Now, you kids didn't come up here so suddenly for a visit. Not that I'm not glad to see you."

The three of us sat in sudden silence. I'll hand it to the man. He doesn't dance around a topic once he needs it addressed. Sure, lull us into a sense of security, calm us down, but make the delivery short and sweet. My eyes flashed in warning to the guys, but they weren't looking at me which made the gesture pointless. We'd discussed the benefits of not fully informing our families of the close call we'd just recently gone through.

"Can't we just come by and visit? It's been…years," Embry said, a little guiltily. However, the elder among us was most definitely not an idiot in any sense of the word. It was an insult to assume as much. I sighed. So much for silence.

"We were attacked," I said as my fellow pack mates suddenly looked at me, a little shocked that I'd go back on my own plan to keep quiet. "The Cullens were out of town for a bit and we were ambushed and outnumbered." I shrugged and sat in the silence that descended after I'd thrown the ball into play. I really didn't want to keep such a secret from Billy. If we were back in La Push and my pack was a target, he had a right to know.

After what felt like a full minute, I risked a glance at him, unsure of what to expect. He was great with all of us, but I knew this was serious and we were all technically adults by now. Kid gloves could be tossed to the wayside.

His eyes were grave.

"We're fine," I said, quickly. Trying to reassure one who'd seen and known too much in his lifetime. The wolf might have skipped him by, but he had all the attitude of a pack leader. I was quickly silenced by that power.

"Attacked by whom?"

"The Cullens came home early and helped us get them," Seth piped up quickly.

"It's true. We owe them…" Embry added and was quiet when Billy looked at him.

"Attacked by whom?," he repeated.

I uncharacteristically bit my bottom lip, unsure of how much to tell him. How much information was too much? It was really Jacob's place to let his father in on the details of what his pack was going through. Though, Jacob wasn't with us and I was the Beta. Ours was pack business, but Billy was the unofficial counsel leader for the Quileutes and I knew that he deserved to know. Not to mention the fact that at the moment there were two packs in town. Two packs that had once been rivals.

"Edward thinks they were sent by someone in Volterra," I said, carefully. "Carlisle is checking up on it. He wanted us gone as they investigate."

Billy was quiet for awhile. He frowned and looked at each of us, a touch of sadness in his eyes as he was obviously processing what we'd said. I wasn't about to add more information. As it was, Jacob was in for a long discussion when he got home and I would have to deal with a peeved off Alpha.

"Jacob can let you in on the rest when he gets back," I said with as much firm resolve as I could. I could see that the guys were about to argue with me when the phone rang. My heart suddenly leapt in my chest and I subconsciously hugged myself.

_It could be my mother_. She would call once she had a break.

_Or Jacob_.

Seth hopped up and picked the phone up off it's cradle, loping across the room to hand it to Billy. He took it and looked at the number on the softly glowing panel before answering.

"Hello," he said as he glanced at me. "No, Sam. Your boys aren't delusional. They are in town."

_Spectacular._

"Nope. He isn't here right now."

_Yeah. Why don't you go choke on your ego and cry with disappointment that Jake has better things to do than talk to you._

Billy handed the phone out to me. _Oh, no_.

"He wants to talk to you."

"I'll talk to him," Embry said, about to make a reach for the receiver. However, Billy was giving me his most pointed look. The Look. The one that mattered when things went crazy. The one you didn't ignore. It said that I had responsibility and that I should remember who I was. Who Jacob made me out to be. I was his Beta. I could be stronger than I thought.

Or else, he was just getting increasingly impatient for me to take the phone and The Look was all speculation.

Either way, I found myself bypassing Embry's reach as I took the white plastic phone from him. I turned from the others and like a zombie began to walk toward the kitchen - the safest place I would instinctually head for.

"Hi Sam," I said, my own voice sounding strange in my ears. I found a hand towel on the counter and suddenly took hold of it for support.

"Leah. Good to hear your voice again."

_Yeah. Same here_. My thoughts weren't a lie. It was nice to hear his rich voice again. Though, it didn't effect me as I thought it would. I tried so hard to avoid him for so long. Maybe time did heal all hurts. I closed my eyes as I tried to make sense of the odd sense of conflicting emotions.

"It's been awhile," I managed to say.

"Years."

"Yeah. Well, we're not exactly neighbors anymore."

There was a silence that seemed to go on for much longer than a mere few seconds. My eyes flickered to an old rooster clock on the wall, focusing on the second hand as it seemed to tick in slow motion.

"Embry and Seth there, too?"

I sighed in sudden agitation and whipped the hand towel - that I realized I was still holding - against my leg.

"You know that they are. Maybe you and Jacob should have this chat when he gets back." I was becoming annoyed and vaguely wondered why I'd been so afraid to talk to my old lover and Alpha for so long. Holding on to old wounds that I'd allowed to fester for no reason. At the moment his voice was not causing my heart to clench in sorrow as it often had in the past, but was stirring up nothing but a grating sense of annoyance.

"He's visiting Forks, I'm guessing."

"Of course. Edward and Bella Cullen are here with Renesmee," I said, my voice sounding tart. "They are staying with Charlie Swan - _off_ your land." I made sure to stress that last part, seeing as he was so sensitive about the vampires. To think I'd once been the same…

I heard him snort and it raised my hackles.

"It doesn't matter to me where they stay, but I will say they're smart not to tempt fate."

I frowned, my temper rising. I could see the guys in the living room staring in my direction as I was sure my volume was gradually increasing. I whacked the towel angrily against the counter before turning my back to growl into the phone.

"What's _THAT_ supposed to mean?!"

"It means that just because Jacob Black tore down the treaty, the Cullens are vampires and still our natural enemy," his voice was condescending and I would have thrown the phone across the room in fantastic Nessie fashion if it didn't belong to Billy. As it was, I looked up to see Seth suddenly standing next to me, looking concerned. "You used to listen to sense, Leah. You used to have morals."

"Bite me," I snarled into the phone.

"They're your enemy, too. Maybe you've forgotten," he said and I could just picture the smug look on his face. _What the hell did he know?!_ "Fine. Since we're done being nice, why don't you tell me what your pack is _really_ doing in town?"

"That's NONE of your BUSINESS!" I raged into the phone as I lost any remaining cool I had in reserve. I drew back my hand to whip the phone across the room, but I found my hand caught in Embry's as he rescued the object from my grasp. He quickly hung up on Sam as I grabbed hold of the counter, scowling at Billy. He nodded at my silent question that was more of a plea.

I dashed out of the kitchen and through the front door. I could hear Billy behind me, telling the guys to let me go, and I was grateful for it. As I ran, I peeled off my clothes, tripping up on my feet as I hopped out of my shorts. The rippling sensation was a welcome comfort as I stopped to transform before dashing off into the trees. My old pack mates would not be able to hear me, though there was one who would. The one who was forever loyal to Jacob, but remained in La Push due to circumstance. The lines of pack communication were silent as I confirmed that Quil wasn't shifted and Jacob had no reason to be. I was alone.

I found an open patch of ground among the trees and stopped running. It was my old place. The little clearing that I used to visit to try and be alone from my first pack - Sam's pack. It was harder to recognize as it had since grown in, but memory was stronger than time. Back then when my thoughts weren't my own and I could think of nothing else but my pain I would hide in the spot. I'd been careful to keep it's location as secret as possible. Now, here it was again.

I could feel old tears form in my eyes, but the emotions that went with them were new. I sat on my haunches and looked up at the sky - at the moon and stars that shone above me.

The strange tears felt good. _I _felt good. For the first time in so many years, I actually felt a weight had been lifted.

I was free.

* * *

_(Sorry it's taken so long for a new chapter. The past month was somewhat chaotic with the holidays and all. Hopefully now I'll be back to more regular updates. _

_Your reviews and opinions are very helpful and I'm very appreciative of them. Not to mention, they encourage faster updates! -Z)_


	13. Cabin Pressure

Disclaimer: I DON'T own Twilight! It's all Stephenie Meyer's thing.

(I must take this time to appologize to all of you guys for taking so long to update. This chapter has been half done for the longest time and I'm just now getting it out to you. Hopefully the next one will be out much, MUCH quicker now that the ball is rolling again...)

* * *

**Nessie **

I was holding his hand in my own. His warmth was a comfort though my heart refused to be calm. Jacob was watching the screen in front of him and I was glad he was so distracted by the movie, though I'm not sure how involved in that he actually was. I unbuckled my seatbelt and curled my legs underneath myself in the spacious first class seat. I took hold of his strong upper arm and clutched onto him in the way that had become second nature. My head rested on his shoulder, as I looked at the little glowing screen.

"It'll be okay," Jacob's rich voice rumbled softly.

I tried to believe him. I fought to convince myself that it was only a precaution that we had to leave the country. I was getting tired of always living with danger hanging over us. My family constantly vigilant and the pack with a shadow over their heads. I felt somehow responsible. Since I've been born, I've put those I love in danger.

"Hey…"

I felt his fingers brush a trace of wetness from my cheek. Wonderful. I reached up to swipe tears from my lashes. He turned in his seat to shield us from the rest of the plane's inhabitants. All I could see were his dark eyes when his larger form loomed over mine. His voice was soft and as quiet as he could make it. Of course, I heard every word with perfect clarity.

"Talk to me. I'm not a mind reader like some people." He smiled to try to make me calm. I must admit, he has a natural charm that I've always been aware of. Even before my birth, though his emotions were wild and filled with terrible angst over Bella, his energy could calm me just by being near it.

"I know." I managed to smile a little for his benefit. "It's hard to explain. My dad knows how I feel but only because there's no other option. It's hard to put into words,"

"I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know." Sometimes with Jacob it was just easier to agree. "Can we just be quiet for now? I promise we can talk about things once we get there." I could feel his fingers beginning to trace the circles on my back that would inevitably cause me to pass out. I took that as a yes and leaned against him as he went back to his movie. I allowed his heat and the hand rubbing my back to work it's magic. It gave me the momentary peace needed to reflect back on that evening and replay the events locked in my mind.

**********

_Five and a half hours earlier…._

"Night, granddad," I said as I leaned in to kiss Charlie's cheek. He seemed a little flustered by it, but I could tell he didn't altogether mind my sweetness. He rubbed the back of his head and looked around at the rest of us, suddenly appearing exasperated.

"Come on, Bells. I said not to fuss over me. You're a guest this time around," he said in the direction of my mother who was hauling a second load of laundry down the stairs in the direction of the laundry room. Well, she wasn't exactly hauling it since it weighed absolutely nothing to her. She was actually balancing two full, stacked baskets. She stopped and looked at him, smiling.

"Well, you are so behind and I really don't mind," she said as she disappeared into the back room, her voice trailing off. Then the said a little louder to be sure he heard, "Just go to bed, dad."

"It's best just to humor her," Edward said, then turned to a whisper for only us. "It's how I keep a peaceful home."

"I heard that." My mother's trilling voice sounded clearly from the laundry room.

Jacob smirked and looked up from the TV enough to shrug at Charlie. We all laughed a bit in peaceful contentment, except for Charlie. I knew he was still unsettled by what we were, though he didn't really know for certain. We kept it that way. To him, Jacob was the only one of us technically out of the paranormal closet, but it was only because Charlie didn't want to know the truth. It wasn't exactly denial, but self preservation. If the Volturi knew that he knew about us, he would be a prime target for attack. They could use it to threaten him, as they did my mother all those years ago.

He started for the stairs up to the bedrooms. "Okay, then." I waved at him as he disappeared up the stairs. I knew it wasn't easy for him to go to bed when his household was still wide awake - and would remain that way all night long. We would just need to be quiet as corpses, and by that I mean the actual dead kind. I settled back against Jacob and his arm curled around me instinctively. I inhaled his wild scent and for the first time in days, began to feel somewhat sleepy. Pure contentment could do that. I yawned and felt Jake tighten his hold on me as he kissed my head. I smiled and felt his fingers stroke through my hair, which only made me feel more like a puddle.

"What?" I heard his voice as I felt it vibrate through his chest. My eyes opened and I looked up at him, questioning, but he was looking elsewhere. I turned my head in the direction of his gaze to see both of my parents looking down as us. They weren't blinking and had the appearance of living statues. The expression in their eyes was pretty grave. I knew at that moment that my sense of peace was an illusion and I felt the need to throw something. However, we were at Charlie's house.

Quiet as corpses.

"What are you doing?," I asked, forgetting to keep my voice down. There was no small amount of dread forming a ball in the pit of my stomach.

"Keep your voice down," Bella practically hissed, but her voice was barely audible. I sat up straight as she looked at both myself and Jacob with a frightful glare before she walked toward the front door. I turned to look at Edward but he had already left the room, and Jacob was at the screen door before I realized he was no longer beside me. _What was going on?!_

I was quick to follow Jake as we met up with Bella outside. She was moving quickly away from the house to the woods surrounding it. We easily kept up with her as we moved along an old path that had grown over some with time. She suddenly stopped and spun around in a single motion, putting out her hands to catch us in case we slammed into her. She paused and looked down at the path and around the woods for a moment before staring at us with those serious eyes that I found I was liking less and less.

"Damn it, Bella. Explain." Jacob was glaring right back at her, but my well trained eyes could see the glimmer of fear in those dark depths. I was certain that look matched my own.

She paused for a few seconds before we heard her silvery voice break the silence.

"I remember this place. It had significance for me once," she said, half to herself. I really wasn't liking the way things were going and reached out to take hold of Jacob's hand. He gripped it tighter than usual.

"Good significance or bad significance?" Jacob just had to ask.

"You should know," she said softly. It took Jacob a few seconds, but he seemed to remember something from their past and nodded. That was the thing with Jacob and my parents. They had a history that I wasn't a part of. Accepting these things was part of being me while avoiding drama.

"Well, if you're keeping with tradition, I'm guessing this isn't going to go well," he said wryly. I sighed.

"Why ruin another spot?," she said softly.

"Will somebody please just tell me what's going on?!" My voice rose above a whisper and Bella softly growled, her sharp mind moving out of the fog of her past to snap back to the present.

"Some of the Volturi guard are going to Oakwood to investigate the attack on the pack," she said quickly. The tiny ball of dread in my stomach suddenly exploded into an inferno of fear that stole my heart.

"What?! But…but they sent the attackers! Caius did!," I said, trying hard to keep my voice low.

"Yes. Yes, baby, we know," she said, her harsh demeanor softening some.

"This is messed up, Bella," Jacob snapped, taking hold of me as his protective nature kicked into full gear. I let myself be pulled against him, as I always have. We were two halves and at that moment, I needed him.

"Well, that is why you two are getting out of here. Tonight."

"Mom!" I began to protest, but she shot me the look that meant any protest was useless. Not even Jacob made any attempt to counter her. She looked directly at him then and I suddenly felt like the ten year old I actually was, with the adults in my life deciding my fate for me.

"You need to take her away from here," she said to him. There was urgency in her cool voice. She handed him an envelope and then pressed his hands to it, forcing him to hold onto it. "Do not open this until you get to the airport. Edward can't find out where you're going."

"Only your mother knows," I heard Edward velvety voice and turned to see him come up behind us. He had my messenger bag and a bigger bag that he handed to Jacob, who took it without asking questions. Jacob _never_ did anything without questions.

I could feel hot tears form in my eyes. I was suddenly scared. Wanting so much to be brave, a part of me rebelled against that, having had to be brave all my life. I was suddenly tired of having to put up a front, trying to be a fearless Cullen. I took my bag from my father and wrapped my arms around him. His cold, hard embrace was comforting and I didn't want to leave it, though I knew he would force me to go as much as I might protest.

"What about you?," I sniffed. "What about the pack?"

"Yeah. What about my pack?" I heard Jake's voice and it sounded angry.

"They will remain here with Sam's pack," Edward said, over my head. I broke away from my father a little to look at Jacob as realization hit.

"So, Leah'll be in charge." I said as I saw Jacob look like he wanted to punch something or someone. He was glaring fiercely at Edward since I guessed he was the one he loved the least. The two were having a rock hard stare off.

"Jacob?!" I tried to get his attention.

"Yes?"

"What about Sam and Leah?" I could see him sigh before he forced himself to break eye contact with Edward to look at me.

"It's time that she deals with Sam," was all that he said about that situation. "If our pack is safer here with Sam's guys, I want them here for now." He reached out to take my messenger bag, but I held tightly to it. He relented and sighed. "Come on. The faster I can get you out of here, the better."

"But…but the pack! What if the guard comes here to La Push?!," I demanded. They were my best friends! Leah was a sister, the guys were brothers. They were my family and I was one of their pack. They were my business as much as Jacob's and I was afraid for their safety.

"Sam will be notified," Bella said to us. "Both packs are in the same place now, and -"

" -strength in numbers," Jake finished.

"Exactly," Edward said. "We're heading back to Oakwood to help our family."

Jacob smirked a little then. It was good to see him lighten up again, if only for a moment. "Neuter 'em, Bella."

"That's the plan," she said in response. Her shield power was the most valuable defense we had. The Volturi were more or less powerless against it. However, as optimistic as our chances seemed, she couldn't bring herself to smile. She just stared at me before I suddenly felt her cold, hard arms holding me, hugging me tight. I fought to hold back tears as I hugged her back. She quickly went to hug Jake as she told him again to keep us safe.

It was then that we could hear a cab pull up to Charlie's house, running idle as it waited for us. We were quick to make our way down the path to the road. I hated to go, but knew it was necessary. The driver was already loading my bags in the trunk as Jacob held the door for me. I found myself getting into the car as time seemed to creep to a stall. He followed me into the back seat and I just registered the door shutting as we pulled away. I watched my parents get farther away as we drove down the road. Eventually disappearing as wraiths in the night.

**********

Jacob was shutting off the screen he'd been watched when I came out of the memory. The plane softly hummed as the cabin air blew on us from above. The lights were still dim and it would be several hours before we'd land in South America.

"Try to get some sleep, Ness," he suggested, somehow knowing I still hadn't fallen asleep. I yawned. It had been days since I'd slept in his room at the cabin. I stretched and he tipped his chair back as I did the same, resting against him. I worried about Leah though I knew she could hold her own. To that, I actually held a tiny bit of concern for Sam. I felt Jake's hands begin the circles on my back and I made a tiny sound in a feeble act of protest. He would not be swayed, and the fight soon left me.

The surrender was sweet.


End file.
